Radien - Maa EP

Tracklist:-

1. Varjot

2. Viimeinen

As Spring slowly approaches here in the UK, there's still plenty of opportunity to cling onto the cold Winter darkness. Tonight's opportunity comes in the form of Finnish quintet Radien and their two-song EP "Maa". Radien initially formed in 2014 and this is (I think?) their first release. They play sludge/doom and as I've learnt in the past, Finland is pretty good at producing heavy sludge/doom bands.

“Maa” is made up of two lengthy tracks. Varjot begins with a sole-guitar and plenty of unsettling feedback to set the scene. Unsettling is the right word as the full band kicks in. Disparate screams, a sluggish (in a good way) yet hypnotising rhythm section and droning guitars guide you through the song and even when the vocals are silent, it’s still terrifying. Finland has become well known for it’s more traditional and experimental doom over the past few years, but this takes it in a more extreme direction. Viimeinen is equally (if not more) disturbing thanks to Radien’s use of melody, which seems to feed into the negative emotion within the music. The other thing that makes this stand out is the recording and mastering job, which gives it a real sense of volume. It’s all encompassing. There are hints of metallic black metal and hardcore within it, but they are subtle hints. Radien would go down a treat if they played in the UK, I’m confident of that. This EP was released in September last year, but has only recently come to my attention. If doom in 2017 is anywhere near as strong as this, then I’ll be blown away. 

You can stream "Maa" and get it as a name-your-price download below:-

Radien also has various merch options, including a 12" version and t-shirts too.

Radien Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/radienband/