A veritable Traveling Wilburys of the Nordic melodeath scene, Cemetery Skyline’s debut brings together musicians from Dark Tranquillity, Amorphis, Sentenced, Omnium Gathium/Insomnium and Dimmu Borgir, all key players in the development of death/black metal in the mid-late 90s.
Having each long since flown the extreme metal underground to master more melodic and accessible musical forms, this high-gloss, pop-savvy project represents the apotheosis of that trajectory. These five seasoned veterans have all amassed lengthy discographies and weighty legacies over 20-30 years, honing, experimenting, maturing, and getting really bloody good at it. So when they combine to form an all-new enterprise, they don’t so much hit the ground running as hit the ground cruising in a high-end Volvo.
This is a tremendously assured and meticulous debut, with a finely tuned and smoothly balanced sound, synths and guitars equitably distributed, each layer performed and produced to strike just the right mood at the right time. Mikael Stanne’s voice rings loud and clear despite the emotive vulnerability of his lyrics and melody lines, his irresistible goth croon somehow both playful and solemn.
The ethos of black velvet goth hangs off the album’s elegant architecture, but not obsessively so, more as a consequence of nailing the bittersweet quality of the best Nordic melancholy without crossing the line between rock and metal. Just as detectable an inspiration are A-ha, the Norwegian trio who brought plaintive yearning to 80s synth-pop.
Darkness with a lightness of touch, sadness with a hopeful uplift, Nordic Gothic is a classic grower. Like any Scandinavian, the songs can take a little time to open up; even instant bangers like Torn Away or Violent Storm engage their emotional hooks as well as musical ones, but when doomy closer Alone Together trails to a glacial halt, the urge to listen again is very strong.
Nordic Gothic is out October 11 via Century Media.
