Kimi Kärki – Eye For An Eye

Svart Records, release: 18.8.2017

Some of us might be familiar with the name Kimi Kärki, as for example the string wizard in those legendary Finnish Doom acts Reverend Bizarre (R.I.P.) and Lord Vicar. And by the way, he is also a historian at the University of Turku (International Institute for Popular Culture)…

In 2013 he released his first singer songwriter album named  “The Bone of My Bones”, which is now followed by “Eye For an Eye”. Unlike the predecessor which focused on 12-string guitars, “Eye for an Eye” has a more intimate and personal touch. The songs are played with nylon string guitar and are filled with a variety of other sounds and harmonies.

Acoustic guitar tracks, romantic and dreamy, featuring Kimi’s sonorous voice which evokes associations with Leonard Cohen or Nick Cave. And you could even build a bridge to Metal, when you imagine Swallow The Sun, Insomnium and their likes as purely acoustic versions. Which should not imply that it’s some one-dimensional campfire stuff. The songs are multidimensional and complex, considering the relationship between the lyrics and the music. Not everything can be discovered by just listening to it once. And there’s plenty of uptempo stuff as well, especially when guest musicians are involved: Patrick Walker, Warning and 40 Watt Sun singer, John Richardson, musician and music professor at the University of Turku, the singers Anna-Elena Pääkkölä and Pirita Känkänen. Joona Lukala was once again the sound engineer, and also most of the guests had already appeared on Kimi’s solo debut.

Summing up: Eclectic guitar work, beautiful melodies and a good dose of melancholy, something a Finnish band simply has to have. Therefore hit “Play” and drift off into space… maybe I should call it ear-Yoga for Metalheads.