Album Review: As The Sun Falls – Kaamos (Theogonia Records)

Finland’s, As The Sun Falls, deliver an icy blast of melodic death metal with their second full length studio album, Kaamos. Kaamos will be released on digital, and CD on the 3rd of May via Theogonia Records.

Formed in 2020, As The Sun Falls have been busy so far and have already released 4 EP’s, a live album and this is their second full length following on from 2021’s Last Days of Light. Their last release though, was 2023’s EP Where The Silence Reigns. Kaamos is described as “an immersive journey into the depths of Finnish melancholy and the enigmatic Polar night”. Drawing inspiration from the mystical period between December and January known as Kaamos, where the sun remains hidden below the horizon, yet the landscape is bathed in surreal blueish and violet Arctic lights,  As The Sun Falls latest album looks to capture the essence of this unique phenomenon.

Kaamos comes packed with guest appearances from renowned artists too. Gogo Melone (Aeonian Sorrow, Elysia) lends her ethereal clean vocals to “Through Sorrow and Grief”, while Kari Olli (Pressure Points, De’Lirium’s Order) adds his haunting voice to “Into the Shadows”. Additionally, all keyboards on “Kaamos” were recorded by George Tzahristas (Brain Scorcher, En-Stigma, Neperia).

Kaamos comes with gorgeous artwork and layout, also by the talented Gogo Melone and was mixed and mastered by Guillaume Schappacher at Gravity Sound Prod. Studios.

As The Sun Falls is Oskar Englund on bass, Lauri Unkila on guitars, Jani Berney Mikkänen on guitars and backing vocals, Paul Rytkönen on drums and Joni Hakulinen on vocals.

Kaamos comes with 11 tracks and a run time of around 60 minutes kicking off with Indrøø. Now, As The Sun Falls have promised atmosphere, beauty and melancholy combined with the power of melodic death metal and that is goddamn exciting to me so expectations are high. As we get underway to the sounds of water rushing against a shore line, I find myself quickly transported to the cold lands of Northern Europe. Atmospheric sounds join in, then drums as the track patiently evolves. The gentle feeling stays, as the drums speed up, playing out a quick tapping beat. Keys join in with tinkling melody and a choir starts to pierce through. Then come the guitars all now combining to create a sound of stunning epic beauty before it leads into a majestic solo.

Indrøø, I assume, marks this as an intro, but that doesn’t do it justice. At over 3 minutes long, it is a majestic instrumental that works perfectly in transporting the listener into As The Sun Falls’ world and if my expectations were high going off of the text based description, they are through the roof now after that stunning opener. Such a high bar was set after that start, you wonder if the band will be able to retain that level of quality across the whole 11 tracks. Well they do, in some style and with a ton of variety and creativity. From that almost power metal/folk inspired intro we move through songs that challenge you emotionally and study your soul, to songs that allow you to release that building tension and let loose a bit.

Among the Stars being one such song where the intro riffs and drums kick ass and we get our first taste of vocals on Kaamos and they are also excellent. Clean, soothing vocals soar through the opening parts of verses before a deep and menacing growled vocal takes over. It’s a good contrast, with the heavy stuff backed by the fiery riffing and drums, and the cleaner section utilising the keys and atmospherics to keep you firmly on the journey. Nice tempo switches move you from pitting, to headbanging, to pitting again and the lead guitars drop delightful melody at just the right points.

Black Lakes is more of a straight up melodeath track, still fitting the album style and concept nicely but just hitting hard with big grooving riffs , harsh as hell vocals and a good covering of melody from the lead guitars. In Forlorn Times drops the tempo, ups the melody but still brings the impressive harsh vocals. The tapping drums are cool and the leading melodies are hypnotic creating a massive sound when the gorgeous music is combined with the booming vocals.

The Wanderer, an 8 minute plus monster drops halfway through the album and is another cracking track. It leads you in with melancholic melody before a huge roar shakes you awake. The intensity hits you then, with furious drum beats, bassy riffs and a meandering lead guitar line. Verses are heavy and aggressive with throat ripping vocals before it bridges using the soaring melody of the lead guitars. A little atmospheric backing adds more depth and keeps you firmly in the cold and stark place we have been transported to. It’s very easy to get lost in.

Aurora, Silver Shining and The Great Cold are also more closer to straight up melodeath tracks, utilising the heaviest side of As The Sun Falls. Big riffs, a quick tempo, blasting drums and ripping vocals with a stunning splattering of atmospheric melody. They are all strong songs, all holding their own on an album of wonders. Aurora in particular has some of my favourite melodic moments on the whole of Kaamos and the slower groove of Silver Shining and screaming lead guitars works a treat too, as does the amazing solo. In all of these songs, despite the changes in tempo, the concept holds true and they just fit snugly, sometimes through a little atmospheric backing, sometimes a twinkling of piano melody as the song fades out. It just works.

Through Sorrow And Grief still retains plenty of heaviness with speedy drums and quick riffing but really ramps up the sound of the lead guitars. That full sound adds a wave of deeper emotion and cold melancholy over the top of another big track. The lead guitars combine beautifully with the clean vocals from Gogo Melone giving quite a mystical and sorrowful feel. Into the Shadows goes deeper down the melancholic rabbit hole with a gentle, acoustic start helped by the guest clean vocals of Kari Olli. These delicate passages lead into an As The Sun Falls section with booming vocals and powerful riffs, before trading back again in a wonderfully encompassing contrast.

As The Sun Falls brings things to a close with the title track, Kaamos and it is a stunner that epitomises atmosphere in music. Purely instrumental, the song stares through your soul, filling it with icy shards straight from the frozen landscapes of Finland. The echo on the drums is a genius touch, the guitars are just beautiful, sad and hypnotising. It’s a superb end to a wondrous journey.

As The Sun Falls have creates a bit of a masterpiece here with Kaamos. An album that oozes class, creativity and emotion. Heavy as hell, yet sorrowful and emotive it manages to tick a lot of boxes and showcases some serious talent within the band. You won’t find many better releases than Kaamos this year so don’t miss out. Grab a copy from the band, here.

As The Sun Falls Links

Bandcamp – Facebook – Instagram – YouTube – Spotify – Apple Music – Theogonia Records