Band:	Waltari
Album:	Below Zero
Style:	Alternative metal, Avantgarde metal, Progressive thrash metal
Release date:	October 2009

01. Below Zero
02. I Hear Voices
03. In The Cradle
04. Without Lies
05. Dubbed World
06. Endless Highway
07. Syntax Error
08. My Own Satisfaction
09. 10 Reasons Why Not To Hate Me
10. Travel On

I'm not sure how things are in Waltari's native Finland; however, in the rest of Europe there is essentially complete radio silence about the band. I was immensely surprised to discover one day that this crazy genre-hopping band released a new album this year. The price of admission is, as usual, Kartsy's vocals, which are still as nasal and polarizing in their reception as ever. You either dig his vocals or not - there is no middle ground here. On the other hand, the man has been using the same singing style for nearly 25 years so if you haven't gotten used to it yet, this band is simply not for you.

Below Zero is an album that resembles Space Avenue and Rare Species in that it is a tighter and more radio-friendly record. Waltari don't really indulge in their progressive and schizophrenic tendencies here, focusing instead on simpler songwriting comprising of elements of industrial, thrash and alternative metal. The idea here is very clearly to have memorable riffs and even more memorable refrains, all fairly mid-tempo and straight forward. The lyrics aren't really up to par with Waltari's best work; however, luckily, the music is. "In The Cradle" is as addictive as biting fingernails with its industrial metal bounce, while other songs such as "Endless Highway", "My Own Satisfaction" and "Travel On" have simply extremely catchy refrains and suitably memorable riffs that help define the whole package. The guitar work is absolutely superb throughout the album, with all the riffs being able to induce involuntary tics of the neck muscles and all the leads and solos being played with awesome precision and finesse. The electronic side of things is not as impressive but it's nothing to complain about either. Really, the only thing that might put one off about this album is that it really isn't very adventurous at all.

With this said, to a significant extent, this band truly exists in a world of its own. One could see them as the spiritual heirs to Faith No More's brand of genre-juggling; however, Waltari really do have their own unique sound and musical personality. This album fits perfectly into this personality and this is all that really matters, since one can't honestly compare it to anything else out there. Below Zero is a solid album, not one of the best in Waltari's discography, but still unique and catchy enough to deserve attention - another chapter in an ongoing, quite original story quite unlike any other.