The Finnish postcore outfit Callisto has been around since the year 2000, and Providence is their third full length record to date. Operating in a genre that is still gaining in popularity thanks to goliaths like Neurosis, Isis and Cult Of Luna to name a few, let’s see what these guys offer to enrich the scene.

 

The thing that really distinguishes Callisto from the aforementioned bands is mainly their vocalist. And with that I mean especially his clean voice, which is abundant on Providence. It reminds me of Muse, how weird that may sound to some. An epic, almost hypnotic and high voice (although he still has quite a road ahead of him if he wants to achieve the same), that also reminds of the likes of Chris Cornell and maybe even the late Layne Staley. His voice is definitely one of the main things that set this band apart from the others.

 

The music on the contrary is not too original. A combination of mostly relaxing atmospheric post-hardcore parts with the occasional eruption into devastating heavy sludge accompanied by brutal screams. It mostly resembles Cult Of Luna, although it would be unfair to label them as a clone for their compositions are well thought-through and feature some very nice and interesting passages.

 

I have to admit that I’m not all too fond of the vocal work on this disc, as some of it sounds kind of forced and unnatural. Fact remains that this guy has a good singing voice and he doesn’t get caught up in the typical singing styles this genre is limited to. Therefore I have to conclude that whether you’ll like this band or not is an entirely personal issue, mostly because of the vocals. Check it out and decide for yourself.