Band:	Calmsite
Album:	Elvisdeath
Style:	Melodic death metal, Stoner metal
Release date:	2005

01. Barnhill Burning
02. Hit Stroker
03. Hookerbites
04. Dealer's Hand
05. Date With The Blades
06. Words Denied
07. Dive Into The Bottom Of The Barrel
08. White Boots Rodeo
09. Tornament

Calmsite is a band hailing from the cold and sunless Finland, a country renowned for either it's dark and desolate or black metal music in terms of metal, yet by staring at the cover of Calmsite's second and latest release, "Elvisdeath", you easily and rapidly realize that you won't find depressive tunes in there!

The album is upbeat through its whole duration, powerful and explodes like a dynamite, crushing any possible obstacle in its way! When I pressed the play button a hybrid of heavy and death metal along with intense Gothenburg passages started surrounding me and, oddly, I can say it was a really amazing experience listening to Calmsite's "Elvisdeath"!

The guitar work is heavy metal oriented, in a rocking mood often, with a powerful approach, while it's not afraid to sound more death metal oriented at times lending more groove to the overall sound of the band. The common part of the guitar work, except for the fact that it sounds well-executed and really good, is that the sound of the guitars is heavily distorted in order for them to sound more dynamic, something positive of course since the album has an upbeat and powerful air! What is really remarkable is the fact that there are some melodic passages in a Gothenburg metal vein that make their appearance from time to time and the only thing I can say is that they make the atmosphere more various with their more gentle approach.

The rhythm section plays its role in the most ideal way. Lending groove in an unerring way, with both the sound of the drumming and the bass guitar being vivid, sounding quite bombastic at times or just keeping the tempo/groove at others, but above all doing a really good work! Some slight keyboard melodies, which are really few, are always welcome at times. As for the vocals they are very good, being mainly grunting/husky, but without being afraid to move into black metal oriented fields of vocal expression or offering some more melodic/clean vocal lines here and there. There are times that the aggressive vocals remind me of Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquility) seen through a Taneli Jarva (ex-Sentenced, ex-Impaled Nazarene, The Black League) prism and generally the whole feeling has a party approach here and there.

"Elvisdeath" is an album filled with an aggressive/powerful feeling, energy and a party/rocking (a.k.a. Motorhead) attitude at times, without forgetting more melodic passages, that won't disappoint people seeking such musical complexes!

Highlights: The Children Of Bodom oriented "Dealer's Hand", the upbeat and powerful "Date With The Blades" with the melodic chorus, the brilliant opener "Barnhill Burning", the upbeat and groovy with that Gothenburg sense of melody "Dive Into The Bottom Of The Barrel" and "White Boots Rodeo". Generally, the whole albums is wonderful!