On paper, it seems like stoner metal and death metal would be on opposite ends of an arbitrary scale. The two genres differ on just about every metallic theme. Song structure, lyrical content, vocal arrangements, death metal is the yin to a stoner metal yang. Yet, as heavy metal evolves and innovative ideas are coming from all corners of the world, it is not impossible to suggest that these two styles cannot coexist. It has been done before, it is not brand new. However, it has yet to really latch on to any great success (personally.)
Enter Finland's Altar of Betelgeuze, where the combination of stoner doom's haze and death metal's visceral assault are essential to their formula. The Helsinki "stoner death" quartet effortlessly flows between styles due in part to the lineup's talented versatility. Altar employs two vocalists to achieve soaring clean vocals and the guttural growl of death metal. They are handled by guitarist Otu Suurmunne and bassist Matias Nastolin, respectively. The inclusion of two guitarists (Suurmunne andJuho Kareoja) also creates a rhythmic interplay in which riffs echo each other. Yet, it is in drummer Aleksi Olkkola where the band's sound is pulled together. Olkkola's knack to transition from outright rock patterns to a glacial, death doom plod makes "New Dawn" a cohesive exercise in genre fusion.
Give "New Dawn" a listen below and be sure to pre-order the album, Among the Ruins, ahead of its April 15 release through Transcending Obscurity Records. Altar of Betelgeuze is also on Facebook, where you can keep up with the band.
