Origin:	Finland
Genres:	Progressive Metal, Death Metal

Farmakon

Farmakon was formed in 2001, and on the strength of a quickly-recorded demo, attracted the interest of Elitist Records, who released their very interesting A Warm Glimpse album in 2003. Several have cried "Opeth clones!" when reviewing said album, and while there are several indications that the band can progress in various directions in the future, the fact is that there are clear Opeth influences all over the album. This is not a bad thing -- Opeth is foremost an excellent band in their own right, is hardly an easy band to imitate, and there are very few currently attempting their brand of progressive death metal. But while there many similarities, there are differences too, one being that Farmakon doesn't write songs as long as Opeth, and another being Farmakon's forays into jazz and weirdness. The prediction here is that as Farmakon matures, the Opeth comparisons will wane and eventually be dropped altogether. As for now, A Warm Glimpse is an outstanding album, and unquestionably recommended to melodic/progressive death metal fans.

The band is no longer on Elitist Records (that label recently dissolved), but a new album, Robin, has been finished, hopefully to be released in 2006.