ALBUM REVIEW: Heartrot – Bjørkø
This record is a long time coming for Toni Koivusaari, guitarist of AMORPHIS, who’s been part of the band since the very beginning. He set himself a deadline, his 40th birthday, to put together this solo project, which he describes as a chance to liberate himself from how traditional bands operate. That was over 10 years ago – Koivusaari celebrated his 50th earlier this year – but when the pandemic put paid to his main gig’s ability to tour, he finally had the opportunity to bring these pieces to life under the BJØRKØ name.
Like Slash’s self-titled solo record, from before he recruited Myles Kennedy, Koivusaari has fun tweaking each song’s mood and texture to its guest vocalist’s strengths. Far from being AMORPHIS with a rotating door of singers, the guitarist shifts his identifiable style just enough to make these tracks enjoyable and fulfilling experimentations. He ups the intensity for DIMMU BORGIR’s Stian Thoresen, while Marco Hietala of NIGHTWISH fame is accompanied by the more euphoric and melodic side of Koivusaari’s arsenal.
But the consistency and heart of his artistry is such that AMORPHIS fans will find lots to appreciate. Koivusaari describes the record as a soundtrack to an imaginary film, and its inspirations include nature and melancholy. AMORPHIS have a knack for emotionally evocative hooks, and their most recent record looks to the moon for its thematic palette. BJØRKØ strikes the balance between curiously pushing the boundaries just beyond familiarity, while allowing the impressive DNA at its core to act as a friendly face.
So when SOLSTAFIR’s Addi Tryggvason shows up on Vaka Loka, the instrumentation, mid-paced and expansive, seeks to elevate his gothic crooning, adding to its pained vulnerability and throat-searing passion. Contrast this tuneful number with the record’s raw opener, The Heartroot Rots, featuring Jeff Walker of CARCASS, which is all double bass drums and palm-muted extreme metal riffing. Koivusaari goes full symphonic black metal on World As Fire And Hallucination, providing the sinister soundtrack to Thoresen’s snarled vocals.
To his credit, the record feels cohesive despite its string of guests from all over the world of rock and metal. It’s Jessi Frey, from VELCRA, who pushes the project furthest with her classic rock ’n’ roll voice that adds some real swagger to the album. While her choruses reflect the Nordic grandeur of the rest of Heartrot, her verses contrast this grace with some old school attitude. When Toni Joutsen, AMORPHIS’s lead singer, shows up for Hooks In The Sky it’s a predictably perfect marriage of styles, Joutsen matching the power of Koivusaari’s riffs and knowing the exact cadences to glide over the top of them.
Backed by Waltteri Väyrynen on drums (OPETH), Lauri Porra on bass (STRATOVARIUS), and Janne Lounatvuori on the keys (HIDRIA SPACEFOLK), Koivusaari has assembled a tight troupe of musicians, helmed by his recognisable tones and affinity for melodies that reach for the grandiose. Even as it shifts between genres and influences, at its core is a musician who has been the backbone of one of metal’s most consistent and acclaimed acts of the last few decades. It is a joy to hear him spread his wings.
Rating: 7/10
Heartrot is set for release on December 1st via Svart Records.
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