From death metal to prog to folk, with its wide range of influences, Octoploid's upcoming debut album, Beyond The Aeons, due on 5 July via Reigning Phoenix Music, takes its listeners to a world of its own.
In anticipation of the record's release, the band led by bassist Olli-Pekka "Oppu" Laine (Amorphis, Barren Earth, Mannhai) has presented the second single - "The Dawns In Nothingness".
Continuing the list of prestigious guests, Mikko Kotamäki (Swallow The Sun) lends his distinctive vocals to "The Dawns In Nothingness", which opens the gate to Beyond The Aeons in the form of the fateful peal of bells, cawing craws and acoustic guitar tunes. The eventful song raises the bar with its driving yet dark character, interspersed with a handful of wonderfully psychedelic guitar/keyboard solo parts on what may be one of the most unexpected death-prog albums of the year.
Laine explains: "This track is an unlikely marriage between black and death metal, rock, and medieval monk chants, rounded out by Swallow The Sun vocalist Mikko Kotamäki. Even though the texts are very personal, the gloomy lyricism is not always to be taken literally. That's just a part of the classic doom-metal ethos in its finest!"
Beyond The Aeons was crafted at E-Studio in Sipoo, Finland, where Petri Majuri (Hanoi Rocks, Michael Monroe) took care of mixing the eight tracks and David Castillo (Katatonia, Leprous, Opeth) mastered the album. Orion Landau (Carcass, YOB, Russian Circles) completed the magnificent package with dreamy artwork.
Octoploid is the solo band of Olli-Pekka Laine (bass, keyboards, backing vocals), formed in 2022. Combining elements of 90s death/black metal, 70s prog rock and 90s psychedelic rock, its music has its place on the map. In one phrase, Octoploid's sound has been described as "classic death prog".
Built around Laine, the core band includes four additional musicians: Well-seasoned and diverse drummer Mikko Pietinen brings experience from stoner rock (Mannhai) and Finnish mainstream pop rock (Kasmir), while lead/rhythm guitarist Peter Salonen (The Kinky Thing; a band performing Finnish psych rock legends Kingston Wall covers) is a new face in the scene. The five-piece completes with keyboardist Kim Rantala (Giant Robot, ex-Amorphis) and vocalist Mikko Kotamäki (Swallow The Sun; live). Link
Beyond The Aeons tracklist:
01. The Dawns in Nothingness
02. Coast of the Drowned Sailors
03. Human Amoral
04. Shattered Wings
05. Beyond the Aeons
06. The Hallowed Flame
07. Concealed Serenity
08. A Dusk of Vex
Berlin‑based trio Dina Summer — the supergroup formed by Greek‑German duo Local Suicide and Bavarian producer Kalipo (Frittenbude) — return with their sleek new single and video...
Australian symphonic metal and gothic rock outfit Carmeria have unveiled “Caelira,” the first single from their forthcoming third studio album Ex Cathedra, arriving on 30 October...
The dark music world is mourning the loss of Bruno Gert Kramm, co‑founder of the legendary German electro‑industrial duo Das Ich, who passed away in the early hours of Saturday, 26 September...
Just days ahead of the release of their forthcoming studio album Monumental, Ukrainian modern metal outfit Ignea has shared another glimpse into the record with the video single "Harmony...
"Goth people want to have fun sometimes too. I guess if your listening time is 99% dark, sad songs or evil black metal songs, sometimes you want 1% joy, and here I come." - Franck Hueso
"It's my kind of duty to provoke people and to make sure they feel something — to dance, cry, do whatever they feel. I do motivate them, because that's my purpose." - Chris Corner
"You can see it in social media, in the world, with the wars going on, and I think it's an appropriate title for an album." - Skinny Disco
"We were kind of exploring dark subject matters and darker sounds. I really like that, and this is the direction we are going right now." - Larissa Vale
