Rating: 7/10
Release: 3 March 2010
Label: Spikefarm Records

I’m feeling honored, Spinefarm Records has entrusted us two new CDs to write a review on, the new CD from Metsattol will be discussed by Dorien, and I have claimed Kalmah. Kalmah, I can unfortunately say nothing about them, I’ve heard a lot about them, but actually never listened until now. So much change can change with my first CD review.
First let me just say that the cover looks really nice, really metal, and folk really, so this is the first pro of this album.
A very nice quiet intro, but that changes within a minute in a lot of violence, and then it really starts. The first track, peace never sleeps, it’s a good song, though I thought at one time that I had heard it before. Luckily this feeling was only for a little while. The 2nd song starts nice as well, in my opinion better than the first, it has more heroic tunes and personally I love that. Meanwhile, the third song began, it also strikes me that these guys can make pretty good music, but unfortunately aren’t very able to be inventive, even with this song, I feel like I’ve heard it once, but by another band.
Swampwar, track 4, I finally heard something that really pleases me, until now it was good, but not quite. This is a very strong song! OK, the solo, which seems very much alike the solos of Children of Bodom. Track 5 has begun, but I’ll have to admit that I think is the Children of Bodom content is rising again. When the song is over and I have to admit that this was finally a really good song, “Swampwar” still was disappointing as the song progressed, it seemed be be nicer when it had just started. “Hook the monster,” the title is brilliant, but the music could be better, the lyrics aren’t something you can understand. “Godeye” is now engaged, and it sounds like it. The only thing I understand is a lot roar with the word godeye in between but well, I do not think that the intention is that we hear what they say.
“12 Gauge”, the song starts as opposed to the noise of the first, nice and quiet, beautiful guitar, an electric guitar is calm. But this doesn’t last too long and after 50 seconds the noise is back. Nice noise, especially the mysterious tone of the keyboard which can be heard secretly in between is a lot of fun in this issue. “Sacramentum”, the last song on the CD. It begins beautifully with a nice chorus. This takes about 20 seconds, and then the guitars are ramming in. Luckily they withhold here, it almost seems that there is feeling in this song. They should write more songs like this, and when I think of it, this goes to the whole CD, because they can create tracks which are as beautiful as this as well. Very nice rhythms are incorporated in this song, the chorus is still somewhere at the back and the keyboard sounds wonderful, the quiet guitar comes even briefly back! And then a little harder. And even a nice keyboard solo. It slowly dies away and the choir is the last you hear on this CD. My judgement, mixed. Very good plays, but I feel somewhen weaker pieces. Even though I must admit that with “Sacramentum” they wrote a very beautiful song which I will probably recommend to a lot of people.
Do you like Children of Bodom like metal, or keep you from heroic noise, then this CD is worth it. Are you more of a type of strange instruments and lovely quiet pieces, then you can skip “12 Gauge”.

Tracklist

1. Rust never sleeps
2. One of fail
3. Bullets are blind
4. Swampwar
5. Better not to tell
6. Hook the monster
7. Godeye
8. 12 Gauge
9. Sacramentum