ODDLAND-Origin

Sensory Records

Based in Finland, Oddland once started in 2002 as a rock-oriented band and even snuggled with grunge music, but came to their senses after making a few demos. Oddland evolved to a metal band and ten years after their formation they released the debut `The Treachery Of Senses’ through the well-respected record label Century Media. For the follow-up album `Origin’ Oddland signed with Sensory Records and today Oddland is a true progressive metal band. Not in the sense of Dream Theater, Rush or Fates Warning, but in the sense of Opeth, Katatonia, Dark Suns and even a bit Pain Of Salvation. The music of Oddland captures a very pleasant dark mood, a melancholic vibe that sets a certain atmosphere that makes you feel right at home. The combination with a dynamic song structure, technical guitar riffs and melodies, complex but strong beats and additional symphonic elements, make the sound of `Origin’ interesting and challenging. Singer, guitarist Sakari Ojanen does not only surprise with a bright high voice but also with a cool sounding low range. Ojanen mostly sings calm but determined, an approach that strongly reminds of the performance of Mikael Åkerfeld (Opeth) and Dan Swanö (Nightingale, Edge Of Sanity), but there are also a few moments the guy explodes. `Origin’ is a self-produced album that has 9 good sounding songs to discover in which Oddland proves to have the right skills. If you like complexity, unexpected melodies, beautiful, dreamy moments and a portion of metal madness, give Oddland a chance.