Octoploid - Beyond The Aeons

Octoploid is a progressive death metal band from Finland who formed in 2022.  “Beyond The Aeons,” is their full-length debut.

Octoploid is actually a project from the ever creative Olli-Pekka Laine, most notably from Amorphis but also Barren Earth and Mannhai.

Although the prog elements are best used to help describe the band’s sound, it’s also often very melodic.  The band also isn’t afraid to venture into more extreme realms.  Honestly, at times, this sounds like early Amorphis. As the cover art and name might suggest, the album is also very trippy and psychedelic as well.  

To help bring his creation to life, Olli-Pekka Laine recruited some damn good musicians.   Mikko Pietinen, also from Mannhai, provides the drums. Much like the music, his style is varied and holds down the foundation even as he helps push the band into new sonic territories. 

Peter Salonen (Death Mex) lends his talents on guitar, offering a performance that runs from groovy riffs, catchy harmonies, and trippy passages.  Kim Rantala, who played keys on Amorphis’ “Elegy” and “My Kantele EP” rounds out the core band.  It is awesome to hear his keys once more, very complimentary of the band’s overall sound. 

There are guest musicians peppered throughout as well, most notably both Tomi's from Amorphis’, Swallow The Sun’s Mikko Kotamäki,  another former Amorphis keyboardist Kasper Mårtenson, Petri Eskelinen of Feastem and Rapture,  Jón Aldará from Hamferd and Iotunn, and two more Mannhai members, Janitor Mustasch, and IIkka Laaksomaa. 

If this seems overwhelming, don’t worry.  Each guest is dialed in so their distinct styles actually fit right into the album smoothly rather than making it disjointed or too aimless.  If anything, the album is a very smooth experience and I’m impressed by how well all these musicians came together.  

“The Dawns In Nothingness,” opens with a clean intro, laced with a middle eastern flair. The keys are subtle but enhance the atmosphere exceptionally. Mikko's extreme vocals are biting, a contrast against the melodic music that works to create a fitting mood. Laine's bass is at the center, the song growing around this focal point. The chorus is catchy, balancing heaviness against a progressive flair. The song grows darker as it reaches its end which is groovy and psychedelic. 

Tomi Joutsen lends his voice to the jaunty “Human Amoral,” a song steeped in both melodic death and 70s progressive tendencies. The drums hit hard during some of the more intense vocal passages, a double punch of intensity. The rhythms are tight but the bass keeps it fluid through the density, allowing the sound to open up later. The middle portion is a psychedelic approach, conjuring up dreamy visuals and hazy textures. Tomi's vocals afterwards are gripping, capturing the epic moment as the guitars soar their way through.

“The Hallowed Flame,” is one of my favorite songs on the album.  I love the melodic bass and the flavorings of the clean instruments against the backdrop of Mikko’s clean vocals.  His extreme vocals because add an unique edge to the song, a stern weight upon the progressive melodies.  The song suddenly grows dark and groovy around the 3:30 mark, total mayhem that still finds a place among the more freeform elements presented in the other parts of the song.

Jón Aldará leads the final track, “A Dusk Of Vex,” which is another personal favorite.  The song fully embraces the band’s ideas that were presented in the album and runs with them.  It’s weird and out there with a ton of different elements yet it is also extremely focused…and catchy as hell with incredible performances from all involved.  This is a shorter version with the longer version only appearing on physical formats.  Unfortunately, my promo only had the short version so I cannot comment on the other one.  

Octoploid’s “Beyond The Aeons,” is an imaginative and adventurous album with a huge attention to detail that mixes a bunch of different styles together to create music that any fan of prog and melodic metal will enjoy.

As of the writing of this review, there isn't a Bandcamp page for the band nor can I find the full album on Youtube so there won't be any links to the full album but below is a song