Last month, Cemetery Skyline played their very first show at John Smith Festival, right by one of the thousand lakes of Finland and in the middle of the night. Their video for "Torn Away", that was produced by Sam Jamsen, is giving you a sneak peek of three days of rehearsals and fun behind-the-scenes as well as impressions from the show.

Michael Stanne (vocals) about the lyrics: "This is a song about willful disconnection from everything and everyone and its eventual ramifications. Written very early in the band's lifecycle, this song set much of the tone of what the album would become."

And adding about the show: "It was supercool. This festival forced us into this. They said: 'We want you!' and we said: 'Okay!'. For me, the highlight was that I could be on stage with Markus, Santeri, Victor and Vesa. We have known each other for 20+ years, but none of us have ever been on stage together. I guested with Insomnium twice, that's it. Other than that, we have never shared the stage, which is pretty crazy in my book. Just seeing Vesa Ranta playing drums warmed my heart and made me so happy. Markus is the f*cking best, Victor is a long-time friend of mine and one of my neighbors back home and Santeri going nuts – that meant a lot to me and made this experience so much fun. We were all there, everybody was equally excited and then we could relax and celebrate accordingly after the show, which was fantastic."

"Who would have wanted us to put together a new extreme metal band? Well, maybe someone indeed, but that is not the case this time, because there is something a little different on the plate..."

The contemplative voice belongs to guitarist extraordinaire Markus Vanhala (Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum). In the new somber group, Cemetery Skyline, Vanhala is joined by keyboardist Santeri Kallio (Amorphis), drummer Vesa Ranta (Sentenced, The Abbey), bassist Victor Brandt (Dimmu Borgir and many more) and singer Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity, The Halo Effect).

"With Cemetery Skyline, we're stepping into previously untrodden musical directions – those darker alleys that we hold dear in our hearts but haven't really wandered before. And we're collectively very excited!"

One of the key words, goth, was already mentioned. "We all share a deep love for goth rock from the 80s and 90s - whether it's more synth-driven or heavier guitar-dominated stuff. You know the deal with the best bands from The Sisters of Mercy to Type O Negative", says Santeri Kallio, who shares songwriting duties with Vanhala. "But is Cemetery Skyline a goth band? Maybe to an extent, but that's certainly not the whole story. If you have to describe Cemetery Skyline's diverse music somehow, do us a favor and call us ambassadors of melodic, melancholic and dark rock. Thank you."

Pre-order the Nordic Gothic album here.

Tracklisting:

"Torn Away"
"In Darkness"
"Violent Storm"
"Behind The Lie"
"When Silence Speaks"
"The Darkest Night"
"Never Look Back"
"The Coldest Heart"
"Anomalie"
"Together Alone"

"The Coldest Heart" visualizer:

"In Darkness" video:

"Violent Storm" video:

 

Cemetery Skyline is:

Vocals: Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity, The Halo Effect)
Guitars: Markus Vanhala (Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum, I Am The Night)
Keyboards: Santeri Kallio (Amorphis)
Bass: Victor Brandt (Dimmu Borgir, Witchery, ex-Entombed/Entombed A.D., ex-Firespawn)
Drums: Vesa Ranta (Sentenced, The Abbey)

(Photo - Sam Jamsen)