Metal Shock Finland (World Assault )

Source: Bravewords.com

A two-part feature on the history of Finnish melodic death metallers OMNIUM GATHERUM has been posted on DeadRhetoric.com.

The story takes the reader through the band’s humble beginnings in Karkula, Finland, to their well-received 2003 Spirits and August Light debut. The band’s struggles with Nuclear Blast for the release of 2005’s Years In Waste are detailed, as is the subsequent union with current singer Jukka Pelkonen. Read about how the band hooked up legendary producer Dan Swanö (EDHE OF SANITY) for 2008’s The Redshift, and the story behind 2011’s critically-acclaimed New World Shadows, as well as their most recent offering, 2013’s Beyond.

An excerpt is available below:

Lighting The Torch:

After the pre-OG MOONSHINE fizzled out after one gig, Markus Vanhala set his sights on forming a new band, one that would blend the upward, progressive nature of DEATH, with the melodic caress of Finnish heroes AMORPHIS and SENTENCED. Given the band’s not-so-near Helsinki locale, finding like-minded souls came down simply to a matter of musical preference and some musical ability. And lo and behold, the first lineup of Omnium Gatherum was born in 1996.

“The first incarnation of Omnium Gatherum was with vocalist Olli Lappalainen, whom I met at the local music school where I was studying guitar playing and same story here, we just found out that we both love the awesome band called Death,” begins Vanhala. “Olli is the guy who is still doing all the artwork for OG albums. Harri (Pikka, guitars) and Jarmo (Pikka, drums) played together in tech death metal band called Urolagnia. Me and Janne (Markkanen, bass) then played in black metal band MANALA, so somehow we got to unite these forces to one unit known as OG.”

To read Part I, click here.

To read Part II, click here.

Omnium Gatherum recently unveiled the first video from their new album, Beyond, which is set to be released on February 25th in Europe and March 5th in North America via Lifeforce Records. Check out the ‘The Unknowing’ clip below:

Check out the artwork below by Olli Lappalainen

Beyond tracklist:
‘Luoto’
‘New Dynamic’
‘In The Rim’
‘Nightwalkers’
‘Formidable’
‘The Sonic Sign’
‘Who Could Say’
‘The Unknowing’
‘Living In Me’
‘White Palace’

Beyond was recorded by Teemu Aalto and mixed and mastered once again by the golden hands of Dan Swanö (ex-EDGE OF SANITY, BLOODBATH, NIGHTINGALE)

The track ‘New Dynamic’ has just been revealed and can be heard streaming below: