Ajattara's main claim to fame, at least for the moment, is
the fact that they are led by (now former)
Amorphis
frontman Pasi Koskinen, here going under the pseudonym Ruoja.
This sounds nothing like Amorphis, and though black metal
based, it doesn't sound like the typical black metal bands
making the rounds.
The focus here is on slow to mid-paced riffing and a general
moodiness that is quite effective.
Though this doesn't sound particularly like anyone else,
a reasonable starting reference point might be mid-period
epic
Bathory,
minus the Viking influences and adding spacey atmospheric
keyboards (plus vocals entirely sung in Finnish).
On the down side, some of the songs sound rather similar, and
there isn't a lot of variance in pace.
But the upside is stronger, as the haunting moods that
pervade throughout make this a great listen.
