Oddland Signs With Century Media Records

Century Media Records, the Finnish Metal Expo, Inferno magazine, Terrorizer magazine and Imperiumi.net joined forces last year to find the “Suomi Metal Star 2011.” Around 240 Finnish bands signed up to take part in the contest and 12 were selected to be voted on by the public prior to this past New Year’s Eve. The four finalist bands played at the Finnish Metal Expo in Helsinki on Saturday, February 19 and it was ODDLAND from Turku who won over the majority of the jury members with its brand of sophisticated prog metal/rock — described as a cross between DEVIN TOWNSEND, OPETH and KATATONIA.

ODDLAND was formed in 2003 when four 18-year-old “wimps” decided to play heavy music to as a mental anti-acne medication. The mental acne never disappeared, but neither did the passion to play overdriven music with captivating melodies and intense energy. So far they made two recordings: the EP “Connecions Critical Behind” (2007) and the demo/promo “Away From The Watching Eye” (2009).

Commented ODDLAND: “We are absolutely thrilled to be signed by Century Media Records and to be recording our debut album with them. We’re very proud to become part of the Century Media family. There are many amazingly talented bands with the label and we’re very honored to become one of them. We’ve been playing together for a long time and it seems that all the hours spent at the rehearsal room were not in vain. We’re going to work very hard to make the best debut album we can possibly make. We don’t want to rush things, however, because we want to put out music that will make us stick around. And last but not least, we want to say a huge thank you to all the fans, friends and family who have supported us to this point. Thank you!”

Added Jens Prueter, head of A&R at Century Media Records in Europe: “I was already convinced by their latest demo, but when it’s coming to complex progressive metal and rock, it’s even more important to see a band live. ODDLAND’s kind of music is not easy to play at all, but by the time they came on stage and played the first few notes, I knew they are special. I’m glad that we have next to TESSERACT another young band that combining classic prog influences with modern metal. Welcome ODDLAND!”

For more information, visit the ODDLAND Facebook page. – Source: Blabbermouth.net