Finnish Doom Metal band Infirmum's newest EP "The Great Unknown" Out Now!
Finnish Doom Metal band Infirmum's newest EP “The Great Unknown” is out today! This EP will definitely find its place amongst playlists that include tracks from Draconian, Swallow the Sun or Tristania.
Infirmum saw the light of day in early 2019 as the solo effort of musician Timo Solonen. After creating the first record “Walls of Sorrow”, he opened up the ranks of the band, turning it into a septet, which enabled him to take the band's gloomy approach even further.
The current line-up features 2 new vocalists, Anna Rose and Taka Eliel (Sanctuary of Hate), creating a "Beauty and the Beast" dynamic. Furthermore Erna Siikavirta (ex-Lordi, ex-Children of Bodom (session), ex-Sinergy (session), ex-Arthemesia and ex-Deathlike Silence) joined as the keyboard player, Sammy Anttonen (Sacrament) is the band's second guitarist, Joonas Siikavirta (Begrim) plays bass and Hanna-Leena Lassila (Selvityksen Alla) is the band's drummer.
The EP, “The Great Unknown”, embraces a more evolved sound and takes the band onto a more Melodic Doom Metal territory. Solonen remains the main driving force behind the music, but with each new song, the new members' input is becoming more and more clear. The first 2 singles, “Mask” and "The Great Unknown" have been positively received exceeding the band's expectations. The third song is “Fearless Part II” , a revamp of “Fearless”, which was featured in “Walls of Sorrow”.
The EP also features some wonderfully talented session musicians: Juuso Raatikainen (Drums) (Swallow The Sun, Hedonihil, Endless Forms Most Gruesome), Johannes Tolonen (Bass) (Manzana), Paula Gherasim (Violin) (Raven's Heart, ex-AN THEOS), Teemu Mastovaara (Cello) (Mercury Circle, Swallow The Sun), Julius Lehtonen (Drums) (External).
Tracklist:
1. Mask
2. Fearless Part II
3. The Great Unknown
About the creation of the EP Timo Solonen (Guitars) says: “This was a heavy and hard experience. It's great that the music is also quite heavy and dark. Most of the band’s members joined while making this EP, which is why not everyone plays in this record. For me, this was a new way to make music and I tried to stand still and not lose my mind while waiting for the others to do their part.
The song structures for “Mask” and “The Great Unknown” were ready in the Autumn of 2019 and, step by step, we managed to get them to sound the way they do now. In the beginning I wanted the cello to be just a small detail to add some layers, but in the end I found out I really love this instrument! I am very happy Teemu Mastovaara had time to arrange strings for our songs. I am also very grateful to Juuso Raatikainen for his drum recordings and also to Johannes Tolonen who wanted to work together again. We wanted to record this new version of Fearless because Anna and I tested the new vocals when she joined Infirmum. Also, Eliel’s growls and Erna’s keyboards are excellent, plus we have a beautiful addition of cello and flute, I think we did a good job!
We had all kind of hurdles, but I am very proud of this EP and how we managed to do this as a band. Proud of everyone's part because I know this wasn’t an easy project. I would like to also thank Tuomas Kokko and Samu Oittinen for being so patient. A big thanks to everyone who supported us and to my new band mates for not losing their minds as I sometimes send a million different song edits.”
Hanna - Leena Lassila (drums) adds: “I think music is a very powerful tool in including different emotions and every song has its own soul. This is not always a given in today's music business. The EP’s songs take you with them and you forget the world around you as you listen. I really like the way Juuso Raatikainen plays in “Mask” and “The Great Unknown” , very powerful and with good taste.”
Here's what the band had to say about the new song, “Fearless Part II” :
Erna Siikavirta (Keyboards): “In a way I already knew at once when I heard Fearless for the first time how I wanted the keyboards to sound and what to play. It took a bit of time to find the right sound and only when I worked with this song for the second time I think I managed to record it the way I wanted to. Even though I recorded keyboards differently and with a different sound than in the other songs in the EP I think everything works perfectly together.”
Taka Eliel (Male vocals): “Epic and was fun to record. My favourite in this EP.”
Teemu Mastovaara (Session musician - Cello): “I wanted to have in these arrangements a kind of etheric high sound so I ended up recording three cello parts and on top of this Anna-Sofia played the flute. I feel, in this way, we created a nice and warm layer to contrast the heavier parts. This was Anna-Sofia’s debut in heavy-music and she said it was great experience.”
Fearless Part II
Composed by Timo Solonen, lyrics by Anna Rose
Arrangements by Infirmum & Teemu Mastovaara
Recorded at Fantom Studios and Infirmum Dungeons
Mixed and mastered by Samu Oittinen at Fantom Studios
Watch the music videos for “Mask” and “The Great Unknown” here
Line-up
Timo Solonen - Guitars
Anna Rose - Female Vocals
Taka Eliel - Male vocals
Sammy Anttonen - Guitars
Erna Siikavirta - Keyboards
Joonas Siikavirta - Bass
Hanna-Leena Lassila - Drums
Infirmum online: