Ajattara

black metal

The Finnish Black/Dark Metal band Ajattara was formed in 1996, in Helsinki, Finland. The sound has been described as of primordial nightmare. Attempting to describe their music in less abstract terms, one could always mention it is predominantly mid-tempo, riff-heavy black metal with distant, astral synths. Yet that is just a lame scratch on the surface when dealing with such a true enigma as Ajattara undoubtedly are. As those fortunate enough to have heard the obscure demos the main man Ruoja (guitar, vocals) created in his lone cabin in the woods during late nineties know, the Ajattara sound has been decidedly constant. Ruoja is Pasi Koskinen, the singer of Amorphis until their album Far from the Sun. The line-up was finally completed with Malakias I (drums) and Atoni (bass) in preparation for the recording of the first album Itse (“Self”). The album made a remarkable impact on the public with its brutal, yet crystal-clear sound and the sheer strength of the material itself. Special heed must be given to Ajattara's lyrics, remarkable for being poetic, yet disturbing and haunting as only a bad dream arising from deep dank soil of the local woodlands can be. Blood-feud, murder, moons rising crimson... to begin with. As with those who partake of the flesh of gods, the listeners of Ajattara will never be quite the same again. The release of Itse also brought Ajattara out as a live-band, complete with additional three live-session musicians for maximum impact. Many succes...