“Pale Pretender travels heavy hearted through ominous landscapes in a world where more is not enough,” says Callisto vocalist Jani Ala-Hukkala.
Finns aren’t the most talkative of peoples, so it stands to reason Ala-Hukkala is letting the gravity of his statement (and the “Pale Pretender”) do most of the talking here, which is fine for us, ’cause “Pale Pretender” is massive. From the initial deluge to the last killer motif, “Pale Pretender” moves like a glacial monster, lumbering to and fro with purpose.
The last time Callisto blessed the world with its mammoth post-metal was on 2009’s Providence effort. Fast forward five or so years and they’ve returned with Secret Youth, a natural extension (more refinement, actually) of Providence. In Secret Youth, Callisto find themselves at the apex of the genre, able to communicate emotional heft with single strums or vocal movement. They’ve come out of their proverbial shell on Secret Youth, and it’s no less impressive than the catchy echo-plexing post-apocalyptic dirges present on Providence.
It’s always Monday somewhere. Today is Monday. Let Callisto reinforce that it’s Monday with “Pale Pretender”.
** Callisto’s new album, Secret Youth, is out January 30th, 2015 on CD, vinyl, and digital on Finland’s Svart Records. It’ll be available for pre-order shortly. In the meantime, head over to the Svart Shop for some killer tunes on killer formats. Click HERE.
