Band:	Callisto
Album:	Secret Youth
Style:	Post-metal
Release date:	January 30, 2015
A review by:	X-Ray Rod

01. Pale Pretender
02. Backbone
03. Acts
04. The Dead Layer
05. Lost Prayer
06. Breasts Of Mothers
07. Grey Light
08. Ghostwritten
09. Old Souls
10. Dam's Lair Road

I've said this a few times in previous reviews/comments? I just don't see innovation or nothing very interesting with post-metal anymore. After the originators and other pioneers left their works for us to admire, almost no one tried to develop from there? But here's the new album by Callisto and they are elbowing their way to the first lines.

At first, it wasn't easy for me to point out what I enjoyed from this album. What gave it an identity? The atmosphere as a whole was my first guess. The riffs have a very warm tone, but the production ends up being very cold, akin to what you'd expect from the artwork and Finland itself. If I had to pick two highlights throughout the album it would be the very present and thumping bass. It carries a lot of weight from both the riffs and the drums. Its' sound is also not unlike the one I hear from the first Tool albums, which in this case is a major plus as it gives the album an alternative edge that is nicely mixed with the post metal brew of these Finns.

Callisto had another card under their sleeve that took me by surprise and it was the great clean vocals. The deep vocals carry an emotional touch that take me back to the early 2000s when the alternative/gothic blends were extremely popular in that part of Europe. Most post metal bands tend to go for the much rougher approach with more hardcore-influenced grunts, but not this time. It turned out to be a very wise decision. Sure, you'll hear some harsh vocals at certain points of the album. They are great, but the main course is the very charismatic clean vocals. They add some major catchiness to the choruses but also more of a personal touch to their already interesting take on the genre.

To sum things up, it really is a shame that I discovered this album and band so late in 2015. I would have loved to listen to Secret Youth during the colder days. Guess I will wait for the next winter to approach as I'm sure this will maintain its' place as one of the best post metal albums of 2015.