3rd January 2025

Review: “Gravemind” by Whisper

Inspired by Blood Incantation, Intestine Baalism, early Amorphis, and Nocturnus, a Progressive Cosmic Death Metal from Helsinki Finland have been treading the boards since 2023. Calling themselves Whisper, the five piece released a pair of EPs and a pair of cover tunes as they demonstrated their Extra-terrestrial Wizardry. The second of those EPs is “Gravemind“, which is described as a precursor to an upcoming album, produced and mixed by Felix Pennanen (Cryptic Hatred, Azathoth, Disguised Malignance) and mastered by the bands bassist Luka “Luxi” Raivisto. He is joined on the songs recorded in Espoo between 17th and 21st October 2024 by drummer Aatu Heikkinen, lead guitarist Peerapol “Perppa” Manmang, keyboardist Hoormehr Assadi and rhythm guitarist and vocalist Tobias “Stuba” Huczkowski. Incidentally everyone except Assadi is credited with backing vocals…

Eerily sounding like it was written for a John Carpenter movie in early 1980’s, introduction piece “Orb” is a the soundscape to a science fiction horror nasty that sets the scene perfectly. It cleanses the mind of all ills, preparing the way for the buzzsaw riffs of old school Death Metal that approach on the nightside in the form of “Redisembowelment“. A tune with more whammy bar action than strictly necessary, it feels like the bastard child of Pestilence and Fulci came home to roost, the warm synths adding a vomit inducing underpinning to the savage vocals. There is a Lovecraftian feel to the lyrical narrative of “Angel Leviathan“, it’s violent abrasions and evil laughter are enough to send a shiver down the spine of the discerning listener. The surprise is a melodic break for a clean sung verse which given the 90’s Tampa Florida scene inspired brutal riffage of the first half, no one saw coming. It’s without a doubt where the progressive tag comes from and perhaps there are some Rivers of Nihil influences that inspired it but a return to the sharp end is almost inevitable. Who knows if purists will understand but then who cares? It works when it shouldn’t and that’s saying something. A slow building cosmic riff passage breathes new life into the record as the title track rears it’s ugly head, an eight minute surpassing magnum opus that is double the length of anything earlier offered. The keys sound like a flute as the vocalist Tobias “Stuba” Huczkowski rants and raves his way through the tale of death in space, his snarled, dry throated performance as mesmerising as it is evil. Another dark, melancholic and aching clean vocal passage over a delicate soundscape is a sublime touch before the band move into Melodic Death Metal riffs… There is a possibility that this could be considered avant-garde, in a similar way to Imperial Triumphant. Free thinking and free flowing, a little bit eclectic and eccentric while still being wonderfully ferocious, how they manage to get the balance right we’ll never know but somehow they achieve their nightmarish vision… [8/10]

Track Listing