Today we are talking about the Finnish Melodic death metal band Kalmah. These guys have released a series of aggressive, powerful, and strong albums dating all the way back to the year 2000. The range of their sound includes the very raw stylings of, They Will Return, Swamplord, and Swampsongs. Their sound evolved further through their albums The Black Waltz, For the Revolution, and 12 Gauge, finally giving way to the very refined sounds of Seventh Swamphony and Palo. All of Kalmah’s albums are punctuated with a pristine level of musicianship. Most notably their thrash like 16th note lines played at around 220 BPM! Though their skill is not limited merely to their rhythmic abilities, their songs abound with interesting melodies, pristine harmonies, and unique passagaes that sound distinctively melodic death metal, while at the same time maintaining a unique Kalmah sound. This video talks about their live show experience from the standpoint of their presentational abilities and also the general atmosphere of the crowd during their set. As we will discuss, the ferocity of their album offerings was mashed pound-for-pound during their live performance. No corners are cut as Kalmah unleashed their heavy and intense musicianship on their fans. Of particular note is the tightness that the band played with throughout the duration of their set. At tempos as extreme as Kalmah uses it’s very impressive that, throughout the entire set, they were able to maintain a locked in and cohesive sound amongst the various guitar lead and rhythm lines. Equally adding to the fun experience was the excited energy of the fans in the front of the venue. The floor was alive with Kalmah followers thrashing about, pumping their fists in the air, head-banging, and moshing. One uniquely awesome element is that at several points throughout the set, without Kalmah saying anything, the spectators erupted into a circle pit at appropriate parts of several songs. This sort of tenacity from the fans without the band so much as even encouraging a circle pit is always a really exciting thing to see during a live set as it shows how engaged the fans are with the band. Finally at the end of their set, the fans have the privilege to meet Kalmah in person at the merch booth. I had the distinct privilege of being able to ask the guitarist a little bit of advice on how to become a successful melodic death metal guitarist. His reply was as practical as was artful, “to play from the heart”. He stressed the importance of technique, but acknowledged that many guitar players have technique so playing from the heart is the key to differentiating yourself from others.
