Review Summary: The type of supergroup I can get behind.
There is no shortage of 'supergroups' who get together and essentially make more of the same music that they are known for in their primary bands. This begs a simple question - Why? What better place is there for experimentation than within a new collective largely free of expectations and legacies?
Cemetery Skyline represent a group of journeymen musicians joining forces to attempt something quite different.
Cemetery Skyline are:
Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquillity & The Halo Effect – vocals
Markus Vanhala of Insomnium & Omnium Gatherum – guitars
Santeri Kallio of Amorphis – keyboards
Victor Brandt of Dimmu Borgir & Witchery - bass
Vesa Ranta of Sentenced & The Man-Eating Tree – drums
I will make it clear from the outset that this is not yet another Gothenburg-sound band.
Nordic Gothic is - surprise surprise - a gothic rock album. We've likely never seen anyone on this lineup as relaxed and at ease for so many consecutive minutes as here. This record's tone is more upbeat than you may first expect - a sort of
Depeche Mode 'sad-but-happy but actually sad' mood is the order of the day. The lyrics stay true to the gothic label, covering the gamut of typical themes - endings, loneliness, darkness, death, separation and so on. It sounds like an absolute downer I know, but the music itself constantly pulls the lyrics out of any endless pits of grey they may tend towards. The result is a net positive sounding album, where there is often a bittersweet beauty to behold, but there is some melancholy buried in the prose to delve into if you wish.
The main draw this project held for me was undoubtedly Stanne, and he shows up prepared to deliver. For a while now, DT has been utilizing increasing amounts of clean vocals, always to great effect. Here Stanne leans into this style fully. While he can growl with the absolute best of them, his pure singing voice here is something to behold. He brings a smooth, almost bluesy-jazzy delivery in every song. Lacking the requirement of shifting gears between cleans and growls, Stanne can really settle into the singing and belt the vocal melodies and it sounds fantastic. His softer crooning lacks the range of his previous performances expectantly, but he absolutely dominates the spaces he is allowed to roam in.
On the music side, the sound is quite heavily driven by the keyboard and drums, both of which sound fantastic. They will be the first thing you hear on the up-tempo, pace setting opener 'Torn Away'. But their supremacy is shown in full on 'Violent Storm'. Here the keys ring in the song, drums shortly following on and together they command almost the entire runtime. The guitars gracefully take a backseat, serving as subtle accompaniment to the drum and keyboard dance orchestrated by Kallio and Ranta. Similarly, Kallio and his keys get ample space to shine on the most downbeat track here 'When Silence Speaks'. This track slows the pace, lowers the energy while the delicate piano notes lead Stanne in his most sombre performance here with powerful crescendos in the chorus paired with beautiful guitar work. For the majority of the record, the drumming is steady and dependable, almost omnipresent. They are responsible for much of the energy contained in many of the songs, with a persistent 'forward rolling' momentum they almost dare you to dance along with a little help from the keys. When the rare moments call for it, the drums may totally drop back to allow the other band members to shine.
The guitar, while totally pared back by
Insomnium/Gatherum standards, gets some time to shine in the well chosen single 'In Darkness'. Here (and in a good few other spots) we are treated to some trademark Vanhala axework in the intro and later on during the solo. His distinctive riffs recur throughout the verses, falling back during the choruses to allow Brandt's basslines to shine, along with some very funky keys. Whenever the guitar does show up throughout the record, you can expect some skilfully restrained playing that seeks to accent rather than draw excessive attention, except during the occasional solos of course. This is a rock album rather than melodic death after all, and Vanhala treats his performance with an accordingly measured approach, without ever fading into the background. Brandt and his bass guitar put in some steady workman performances throughout, but truly grab the spotlight on 'The Coldest Heart' where they introduce the song and absolutely power the chorus.
If something different was the objective here, then mission accomplished. So different that someone like my dad, who would hate any of the original bands, instantly clicked with this. At the most sombre, it's the kind of music you would sit back and enjoy a smoke to, even if you don't smoke. At its most upbeat, it is the music the South Park goth kids would dance to. I would imagine for artists decades into their careers, making music that is out of character is extremely creatively fulfilling and reinvigorating. To me, this is evident in the music itself. There is a joyfulness and effortlessness in the playing that tells me guys are having the best time. We can only hope that it replenishes their creativity toward their other endeavours. Until then, the result for fans is a boon too, we get to see some masters of the craft produce something totally different for us to enjoy.
