Mastord is a band from Kotka in Finland that plays Progressive Metal with rich keyboard textures. The new album, entitled “Lemmon Lintu,” was released on February 14, 2025 via Inverse Records and contains 11 tracks between 2 and 6 minutes long with lyrics in Finnish. The opener “Särö” slowly immerses us in the album’s sounds, through an extended keyboard intro with hypnotic melodies. With the entry of drumming and guitar riffs, the band’s Prog Metal begins to take shape, with an orchestral background and extensive use of keyboards that shows great promise. The ticking of the clock connects us to the following, “Kutsu,” which opens with a granitic prog metal sound with keyboards as protagonists. Very interesting is the mixture of modern and heavier traits with the retro atmospheres provided by the keyboards, with synths and hammond taking us back to the early 70s. Very interesting are the tempo changes, a real added value to the sound. The vocals in their mother tongue, Finnish, are incisive and with engaging melodic refrains. A good song that combines the genre’s past and present. A dreamy atmospheric intro opens ‘Kaarne,’ on which the guitar offers a technical and pathos-laden solo cue. Good mixtures between guitar and keyboards and a dynamic vocal test follow the tempo changes of the solid rhythm section. “Kaarne” is an interlude with synth and piano accompanying us to the following “Villi.” A solid Progressive Rock/Metal, fresh and modern with incisive vocals and good guitar riffs that tie in with the keyboards. The rhythm section is solid and is enriched by continuous tempo changes. We are halfway through the album with “Hautani,” a track that adds atmospheric traits to the sound. A track that incorporates elements of early 90s melodic Progressive Metal in its development, with good guitar and keyboard textures and enhancing songwriting and vocals. A two-minute instrumental interlude, “Raja,” features keyboards in this short but intense piece. We return to the more modern and engaging sounds of Progressive Rock, with good keyboard work and an incisive vocal in “Varjoton.” A track characterised by the alternation of more melodic passages and more elaborate and progressive ones, with interesting phrasing between guitar and keyboards. The piano notes that conclude the previous one open “Hiilenmusta,” the longest track on the album, exceeding six minutes in length. An intense keyboard solo characterises the first part, then develops the track into a musical crescendo that evolves the central theme and interweaves incisive vocal parts with elaborate instrumental sections. The energy of classic Heavy Metal and the more technical passages of Prog find their meeting point in this track. ‘Sametti’ is a track that shows in the first part the more Experimental side of the band’s sound, and then flows into a good piece of Progressive Rock with Symphonic traits. The album ends with “Pyhä,” continuing with more Experimental sounds and pompous keyboard textures. An album with interesting cues and a well-constructed tracklist, highlighting the band’s main characteristics. More elaborate passages alternate with more melodic ones, offering modern Progressive Metal with good guitar and keyboard breakdowns.
Tracklist
01. Särö (02:31)
02. Kutsu (04:24)
03. Kaarne (04:42)
04. Sammal (01:46)
05. Villi (03:09)
06. Hautani (05:15)
07. Raja (02:18)
08. Varjoton (04:31)
09. Hiilenmusta (06:19)
10. Sametti (03:06)
11. Pyhä (02:50)
Lineup
Markku Pihlaja / Vocals and Lyrics
Jenni Roslakka / Backing Vocals
Jarmo Pikka / Drums
Antti Huopainen / Pianos, Electric Pianos and Hammonds
Pasi Hakuli / Bass Frequencies
Kari Syvelä / Guitars and Synthesizers
