Release:

Spikefarm Records / Soulfood
May 2009

Info:

Known as the vocalist of one of the greatest Finnish bands ever, Amorphis, Pasi Koskinen had an urge to steer towards heavier and darker music. After adopting the stage name Ruoja and having a couple of other guys, bassist Atoni and drummer Malakias, to join the project, Ajattara was born.

Having forged their murky and primeval ambient black metal since 1996 Ajattara recorded a demotape called "Helvetissä on syntisen taivas" during 1998. Somehow the demo reached the ears of Spikefarm, and Ajattara signed with Spike in 2000 and got around to recording their debut album, “Itse”, which was released at the end of 2001. The album made a remarkable impact on the public with its brutal, yet crystal-clear sound and the sheer strength of the material, especially the Finnish-sung lyrics.

According to Ruoja in 2002 tons of crap fell over the universe and life didn't seem to get any better, so it was time to praise Death, so the 2nd Ajattara outing was entitled “Kuolema”. To everyone's surprise “Kuolema” hit the Finnish album chart on position #18, a feat you wouldn't expect from predominantly mid-tempo, riff-heavy black metal. Bafflingly, it was just a start for a series of chart positions: also 2004's “Tyhjyys” (#27), 2006's “Äpäre” (#27) and 2007's “Kalmanto” (#18) managed to hit National Top40.

Ajattara has always been the sound of a primordial nightmare, but for the first time, primitive and acoustic effort “Noitumaa” displays the brutal, stripped animalism front man Ruoja claims to have found from the edges of humanity. To quote the man himself: “I had to escape the stench of life, to find a scent of death and reach the understanding that we grow as a mushrooms, live like ants, breed and die like rats, but still there is no blessing of comprehension to accept the fact that we're nothing but animals among all the other species.”

Tracklist:

01. Keuhkot
02. Massat
03. Mitä kuolema parantaa?
04. Saatana palvoo meitä
05. Saveen saarnattu
06. Ikuisen aamun Sara
07. Kielletyn sanat
08. Säkeitä riippuneesta lihasta
09. Lammas

Discography:

Itse 2001
Kuolema 2003
Tyhjyys 2004
llon juhla CDS 2004
Joulu-Single CDS 2005
Äpäre 2006
Sika CDS 2006
Kalmanto 2007
Tulppaani CDS 2007
Noitumaa 2009

Line-up:

Ruoja - Vocals, Guitar, Synth
Kalmos - Guitar, Backing Vocals
Tohtori Kuolio - Bass, Backing Vocals
Malakias IV - Drums
Raajat - Synth, Backing Vocals