After its origins as a two-man project back in 2011, 2015 has seen Finnish black metal outfit Paara expand into a band with a full lineup and also sees them releasing their debut album Yön olevainen puoli. Consisting of four tracks and only just breaking half an hour in duration, it’s perhaps fairer to describe this as an extended play rather than a fully-fledged album but nevertheless that doesn’t make it a bad listen – it just leaves the listener wanting more, which arguably isn’t a bad thing to do.
At times, Yön olevainen puoli is a fairly safe and traditional-sounding release – especially the self-titled track Paara, which was something that was mentioned in our previous introducing feature with the band. However on other occasions you can really hear Paara thinking outside of the box and being adventurous, with closing track Aikaan hautautunut being particularly evident of this, featuring many different styles ranging from avant-garde to more atmospheric ‘traditional’ black metal and even a hint of doom and technical death metal for good measure – and something about it just works.
A particularly good element of Yön olevainen puoli is the fact it’s quite a slow burner. On your first listen, you’ll find yourself enjoying the music, but the more you listen the more it draws you in and it ends up becoming quite an addictive listen – especially since on every listen, you seem to notice something new within the music each time round!
As a whole, Yön olevainen puoli is a great starting point for the band and shows both potential and the ability to grow. If you like your black metal, you’ll need to check this one out.
8/10
You can read our introducing feature about Paara here.
Paara: Facebook
