Well, by the Holy Metal Fucking Cow, I am fascinated. Or more, mesmerized.
Word reached us a short while ago about Rioghan, a new artist on the Finnish music scene. Finland and Scandinavia in general are tough terrains to be on for emerging musicians. A great multitude of famous bands rose to global fame from the North of Europe. Don’t know why, it must be the water. Or – maybe – the eternal darkness does that to them. We’ll never know for sure.
So, with that kind of competition in mind, the crew here was stopped cold by that smoky voice that oscillates somewhere in between Billie Eilish and Darkher. And indeed, Blackened Sky sports a somewhat pigheaded and eclectic track selection of some very short 14 minutes of – something for everyone.
In other words, Rioghan drives her very own style. The underlying slightly melancholic and often very gothic vibes kinda serve as the foundation for whatever else is there. We much enjoyed the alternative and somewhat pop-ish undercurrents of Hollowness. Enough sports a juicy slab of Progressive Metal that rivals whoever is in charge of that genre these days. Whereas the rest indulges in subtle electronica, outstanding ambients, and acoustics.
Now, I could continue to namedrop this blurb to death, but let me just state this. Blackened Sky kinda sounds like what Steven Wilson failed to do, with the subdued energy of Vermilia without the Black Metal vibes.
So, here we go. Rioghan airdropped onto the RMR review pipe with the 2021 Spring surprise. A carefully crafted musical painting of largely alternative delights that surely made us yearn for more. Much more.
Just perfect.
Label: Inverse Records | Web: Facebook
Release Date: 10 March 2021