Not the city Kursk nor the submarine, but the first album of the Finnish ‘Russian doom’ metal band KYPCK (pronounce: Kursk) is what I found in my mailbox a few days ago. I know, I know. I was amazed as you guys right now. They’re Finns and they sing in Russian. Theme: war of the late 1940s. YOU! Keep reading, because it’s going to get interesting.

Remember the Finnish band Sentenced? I do, it was one of the first metal bands that I’d ever heard back in the days. So imagine my surprise when I saw the name Sami Lopakka popping up as guitarist of KYPCK. Don’t get your hopes up, KYPCK sounds nothing like Sentenced at all; the band’s got their own sound. The main ingredients: vocalist Erkki Seppänen’s fluent Russian (he’s worked on the Russian embassy), and some heavy guitars.

Imagine melodic clean vocals with a raw twist, mid-paced to slow drums and some heavy guitar work as well as some clean riffing. Mix that, and you’ll have pretty much what KYPCK is all about. It’s so much more than simple, really. The clean guitar riffs create a cold atmosphere, whilst the distorted riffs really pound away like a pumping machine. The most remarkable thing of all must be Erkki’s vocals. If I hadn’t known any better, I’d have sworn this band was from Russia (then again, my Russian is a bit rusty). His clean vocals are great; melodic, melancholic at times yet powerful and gripping. Combine that with the heavy, mid-paced to slow music and you’ve got one hell of a mix.

KYPCK is a gimmick band. It sucks to say it, but those are the facts. The old Russian outfits, the language, the theme, it’s all part of something unique that is just a special feature to have a special feature. A Finnish band that decides to theme their music out to the Russia of the past, because the vocalist happens to speak Russian. Well, that may or not be the case, but I like it. I like it a lot. Thing is, how long will the magic last? Curiosity usually gets the cat, and I’m a stubborn little cat; I’m going to sit this one out and see what comes of it. Get this album, it’s good.