Review: “The Point of No Return” by Northern Genocide

The roots of Northern Genocide go back to 2010 when in Helsinki Finland guitarist Pyry Pohjanpalo and producer Rainer Pekkinen joined forces with a vision of Melodic Death Metal chemically enhanced by electronics. It would be a couple of years before the duo were able to piece together the bands initial line up and release a demo but an EP titled “Planet Asylum” followed a year later as things began to heat up. Evolving away from their industrial roots, 2019 debut album “Genesis vol. 666” was released through Inverse Records, surpassing a million Spotify streams alone with “Ikiruoste“, a song in the bands native tongue a shinning light. The cold winter of 2020 saw a couple of departures with bassist Toni Jokiranta and drummer Markku Tuuri existing stage left. As a result the band went from a quartet to a five piece with bassist Jussi Pulliainen (Plaguebreeder, ex-Nibiru Ordeal) switching to rhythm guitars, Arto Viitanen (Chaos Injected, Forte Ruin) coming in on bass and Leo Korhonen (The Drowned, ex-Orpheria) joining on drums…

…five years on are the new line up of Northern Genocide able to repeat their prior success? Opening cut “To Serve The Pestilence” suggests so with hints of influence from Children Of Bodom and Nekrogoblicon as the electronics burn and blister alongside the flamboyant riffs. Salonen’s varied vocal display is sixty shades of throat splitting grey, Stephanie Mazor of Sede Vacante adding almost operatic cleans in fleeting moments on a layer underneath. After that warning shot “Kaamos” flies free with Salonen sounding like a angered beast from the black deaths roaring at those who would dare wake him from his slumber. His lyrical narratives run on themes of humanity, greed, dystopia and technology with the occasional post-apocalyptic thought, all of which capture the imagination to varying degrees. Korhonen is a monster behind the kit, pounding his way through the material with some inventive fills and when it is said that he mastered the parts for the entire album within a month of practice prior to the recording you can well believe it. “Harbingers of Genocide” takes us down a more symphonic path with orchestrations and moments from Mazor giving the track a surprising sense of epic adventure. This one feels like a song of Viking conquest with nods to Amon Amarth, all that’s missing is a fire breathing solo to complete an otherwise majestic tune.

Cold synths enhance the riffs of “Icaros” which has in its final third the solo the previous cut was screaming for but there is so much more to this one than meets the eye. Rhythmic moments that border on breakdowns, scathing vocals from Salonen and a whirlwind of percussive battery are all interwoven into its very fabric as Northern Genocide reach critical mass and become an entity far greater than the sum of its parts. The slick “Luonnonsurma” (or “A Natural Disaster“) is a fine addition that rampages through city destroying everything in its path, the melodic guitar tone harking back to the bands of yesterday with nostalgic charm. Slowing things down a little “My Fortress” finds Salonen a King pondering the end of days from a thrown of gold and bones, the threat of an explosion of speed lingering in the background as the mid tempo guitars play out another majestic tune. Orchestrations once again chemically enhance everything, making the track shine like a diamond reflecting the light as the extremes within the band’s sound continue to push out in both directions. By contrast, “Our Final Hour” feels like an Extreme Metal nightmare with talk of the failings of humanity, burning in self immolation as we are unable to change our ways and embrace the nature we destroy. A vicious cut upon which the hopelessness of the situation is made clear, it’s power is not to be underestimated.

Sonically having “Of Love And Lunacy” era Still Remains vibes, the synth heavy “Para Bellum” leans on the Gothenburg Sound for its inspirations with lines like “all roads lead to death!” absolute class. A catchy tune with a hummable melody, it’s one that you’ll want to come back to time and again due to its addictive nature and the same can be said of “The Engram“, a cut which lives in the same sonic landscape. An electronic replacement for a breakdown section is followed by a face melting solo of classical proportions before a circle pit worthy final onslaught completes the picture and confirms Northern Genocides credentials for the European festival circuit. “Necropolis” finds the band joined by Tommy Tuovinen of MyGrain and Damnation Plan fame for a guest vocal appearance, adding clean vocals to contrast Salonen and give us a powerful sing-a-long chorus, which was perhaps the only thing missing from their earlier material. A triumphant return from a collection of seasoned veteran musicians who create some spellbinding tunes, this is one that has everything and the kitchen sink… [8.5/10]

Track Listing

1. To Serve The Pestilence
2. Kaamos
3. Harbingers of Genocide
4. Icaros
5. Luonnonsurma
6. My Fortress
7. Our Final Hour (ft. Stephanie Mazor of Sede Vacante)
8. Para Bellum
9. The Engram
10. Necropolis (ft. Tommy Tuovinen of MyGrain and Damnation Plan)

“The Point of No Return” by Northern Genocide is out 1st March 2024 via Inverse Records with pre-orders available over at bandcamp.