It may just be Desert Psychlist's imagination but there seems to be something about the music from the underground scenes of the Scandinavian countries that has about it something a little different, seeming more edgy, off-kilter and twisted (in a good way) than that of the rest of the world. Maybe its the fluctuations in daylight hours or maybe its the water but straight-ahead, four to the floor rock'n'roll seems to be the exception rather than the rule when it comes to Scandinavian music.
Finland's DEEP are a perfect example of this edgy, left of field approach to music, the quartet of Karri Sutinen - Guitar/Vocals, Santeri Sihvonen - Guitar, Jimi Hiltunen - Bass and Matias Sivonen - Drums, from the eastern city of Joensuu blend hard rock bluster with stoner grittiness and sprinkle the mix with elements of doom, grunge and psych resulting in a unique and exciting sound that's totally their own and one that can be heard on the bands debut album "Color Of My Soul".
As the first strains of opening track "Color Of My Soul" smoothly drift out of the speakers the listener knows, almost immediately, that this is a band who are not going to beat you to a pulp with relentless riffage but are a band out to seduce you, tempting you in to their sonic world with subtle shifts in dynamic and tempo. If riffs are what you are looking for though there are plenty scattered around, "No God" and "Mistress" have enough fuzz drenched guitar action to please even the most discerning headbanging, mosh-pit loving metalhead,but they are tempered by mellow passages of quiet-loud-quiet grunge -like introspection.
Slightly accented vocals are layered over these undulating grooves, throaty angst drenched tones that add to the songs on offer a certain gravitas especially when linked to the albums often downbeat lyrical content, lyrics that are peppered with darkness and foreboding.
The band really come into their own when they are given a bigger canvas to work on as is the case with the quite splendid "Doomsday Atmosphere" a sprawling doom tinted tome dedicated to the futility of our short existence on this planet and our unescapable fate, perfectly illustrated in its final lyric" we are just here killing the time", set against a backdrop of screaming guitars and ever changing rhythmic patterns. The band take things down a notch or two for final track "Night Is Calling", its fairly mellow groove enhanced by slightly lighter vocal tones and lyrics embellished with a slightly medieval renaissance vibe albeit with electric instrumentation.
Eclectic and diverse with something within its grooves for everyone to enjoy "Color Of My Soul" shows a band moving on an upward curve of creativity, where this curve leads DEEP next is anyone's guess but the journey will definitely be interesting.
Check 'em out ...
# If you like what your hearing you may want to check out DEEP's acoustic album "Acoustic VOL.1", which can be found here
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