12 Gauge (Kalmah album)

April 2023 12 Gauge studio Kalmah Kalmah 12 gauge album cover.jpg 3 March 2010KALMAH: Photos From '12 Gauge' Video Shoot Posted Online blabbermouth.net, retrieved 27 December 2017 June–August 2009 Tico-Tico Studios, Finland Melodic death metal,popmatters killjoy thrash metal, black metalnecroweb 42:58 Spinefarm Kalmah For the Revolution 2008 Seventh Swamphony 2013 12 Gauge is the sixth studio album by the Finnish melodic death metal band Kalmah, released on 3 March 2010. It adds more thrash metal to the melodic death metal sound that the band is known for alongside the usual environmental themes regarding the swamps of Finland. 12 Gauge was recorded in three sessions over a three-month period at Tico-Tico Studios in Finland. Each of the band members kept in touch with their fans by keeping track of their recording sessions online at the official website's studio diary. In addition, guitarist Antti Kokko videotaped the recording and photo shoot sessions. Seven videos were posted online during the months leading up to the album's release. Promotion for the album was otherwise minimal. There were no official singles, but the track "Bullets Are Blind" was released on a 2-CD compilation included with Soundi magazine's 35th anniversary issue, and a music video to the album's title track was produced and posted online. 12 Gauge received generally favorable reviews by European and American critics, with a few considering it better than either of its immediate predecessors, For the Revolution and The Black Waltz. It was agreed that the band succeeded in producing a thrashier album, but most critics found the music to be less sophisticated than the band's previous efforts. 12 Gauge charted in two countries, peaking at number 32 in Canada and number 15 in the band's homeland. Because the band had not been offered a worldwide tour, support for the album would be limited to Europe and Canada. Background When Kalmah began writing music for their sixth album, their intent was to incorporate more "aggressive thrash material" than their previous recordings had. As a result, the songs were going to be, as vocalist Pekka Kokko described, "quite straightforward", but the band did not want to lose the melodies they were known for. The album would not be entirely thrash metal, since the band planned on adding acoustic guitar sectionsSeptember 2021 and also trumpets.studiodiarypart5 Antti Kokko, the primary songwriter for 12 Gauge, composed the riffs and melodies at his home. These ideas were developed into complete songs during rehearsals.September 2021 Guitar and keyboard solos were then written,metaldeinterview sometimes with both instruments soloing in the same song, trading off repeatedly.popmatters Two of the tracks, "Godeye" and "Sacramentum", were composed entirely by keyboardist Marco Sneck,linernotes including the solos.metaldeinterview Pekka wrote all the lyrics on the album.Gransalke Kathleen Kalmah: At one with metal and nature https://stalker-magazine.rocks/en/2010/04/03/kalmah-at-one-with-metal-and-nature/ Stalker 5 February 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20210507065416/https://stalker-magazine.rocks/en/2010/04/03/kalmah-at-one-with-metal-and-nature/ 7 May 2021 3 April 2010 live Several of the songs shared an environmental theme. "Hook the Monster" was about fishing,linernotes "12 Gauge" was inspired by hunting,September 2021 and the impact of land development in the swamps of Finland was the subject of "Swampwar". Commenting further on the swamps, Pekka remarked, "[those] valuable areas are a part of our northern wilderness and [are] always threatened to be ditched or drained. People are interested in those areas [to use] as a source of energy."metalsound Production Recording and mixing took place at Tico-Tico Studios in Kemi, Finland.blabbermouthfeb The studio's schedule was too full for a single recording session, so Kalmah had to book time to record the album in three separate sessions,metaldeinterview between the months of May and August 2009.blabbermouthfeb The majority of tracks were recorded in May, beginning with Janne Kusmin's drums, which were completed by 12 May. Kusmin was not able to play as well as he had hoped because he had not been practicing. As a result, several of his drum parts were changed.diary By the following week, Timo Lehtinen had finished laying down the bass tracks. His technique was to play nearly all his parts with downstrokes to bring "more balls to the sound". He continued recording even after his thumb had formed a blister. According to Lehtinen, he used only two bass string sets and broke five picks.diary right Kalmah sacramentum jynkha sample.ogg "Sacramentum" (2010) The rhythm guitars in this clip are played with a quick succession of downstrokes only, which the band referred to as "jynkhä"."studiodiarypart3 2:37" Ogg Pekka and Antti took turns recording their rhythm and lead guitar parts, respectively.diary Both guitarists played by striking the guitar strings at a 45-degree angle to achieve a more aggressive sound.metaldeinterview Several of the guitar techniques used on the album had specific names: "Jynkhä" described the rapid succession of downstrokes,"studiodiarypart3 2:37" and a slower version of this technique was called "perusjynkhä.""studiodiarypart3 3:55" Speed-picking with alternating upstrokes and downstrokes was referred to as "hionta","studiodiarypart3 3:34" Finnish for grinding. Some of the techniques used were difficult for Pekka, and his brother Antti took the time to show him proper fingering and grasps.diary The acoustic guitars were played by Antti."studiodiarypart2 1:31" All the guitar tracks, excluding the solos, were finished by 28 May.diary By the middle of June, Pekka had recorded vocals for five tracks, which Antti described as "very raw ... the way we want them to be". Pekka's vocals would continue to be recorded in August, and he completed them on 20 August. Antti had also completed his guitar solos by June and was pleased with the results. "For me, the solos are [the] best that I have ever managed to create, and I'm very satisfied."diary After a summer break, the band returned to record Sneck's keyboards, which took place over three days, 17–19 August. Sneck worked with software effects for the first time,diary along with sound modules.studiodiarypart5 He introduced synthesized horns to the band's instrumentation,diary but an actual trumpet was used for the intro to "Rust Never Sleeps".studiodiarypart5 thumb|right|Pekka Kokko performing in Helsinki, Finland on 6 March 2010. Although the band produced the album,linernotes Pekka stated that Antti was the main producer.metalsound Because they were comfortable self-producing on all their previous albums, they refused to bring in an outside record producer for 12 Gauge. "This concept has worked for us since the beginning and we just want to trust it. Everything goes easy with this setup and we don't want any extra risk factors".metalsound Mastering for the disc took place at the Cutting Room in Stockholm, Sweden.metalsound The title of the album was chosen by Pekka and Antti, who both enjoy hunting. They wanted to draw a comparison between the shotgun shells and the music. Pekka added that the title also alludes to "unpleasant matters" that the listener can infer from his lyrics.metalsound When it came time to design the album cover, the band decided against using computer-generated graphics. They commissioned Rami Mursula to create a hand-drawn piece of artwork, depicting a man emerging from the swamp to fight a beast. Pekka explained the symbolism: "In Kalmah's mindset, there is Swamplord defending his marshlands against [the] monster created by common materialism, industrial pollution and [the] world-wide nausea of globalism." The layout was inspired by Akseli Gallen-Kallela's 1896 painting, The Defense of the Sampo.metalsound Promotion Images used in the album artwork were photographed by Vesa Ranta at one of Finland's many swamps.metalsound The photo session was documented by Antti in a two-part video, titled "The Call of the Wild."studiodiarypart6 These, and five other short videos documenting the recording of 12 Gauge, were uploaded in the months leading up to the album's release. There was no official single, but in December 2009, the track "Bullets Are Blind" was included on a 2-CD collection released as a companion to the 35th anniversary issue of Soundi magazine,soundi and a music video was shot and posted online for the track "12 Gauge".blabbermouthfeb In February 2010, Kalmah launched a second MySpace page solely dedicated to the new album.metalunderground The album was released on CD and download in Japan in February, followed by releases in Canada and Europe in March, and in the US in April. A vinyl pressing was also made available in April, limited to 500 copies.svart The band played shows in support of the album in their native Finland, as well as Germany and Slovenia.Kalmahin "12 Gauge" ilmestyy tammi-helmikuussa [Kalmah's "12 Gauge" will be released in January-February] https://metallimusiikki.net/metallimusiikki/kalmah-12-gauge Metallimusiikki.net 5 February 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20250813222837/https://metallimusiikki.net/metallimusiikki/kalmah-12-gauge 13 August 2025 Finnish 6 November 2009 live The 4 March performance in Jyväskylä, Finland, was considered to be the album's release party.blabbermouthjan The band then traveled to Canada for a 10-show tour.blabbermouthoct kalmahoctober Critical reception plain AllMusic 3.5 5 allmusic Blistering 8/10 blistering Imperiumi.net 8+/10 imperiumi MetalEater B+ metaleaterreview NecroWeb 10/10 necroweb PopMatters 8/10 popmatters Soundi 4/5 soundireview Stalker 8.5/10 stalker Allmusic's Eduardo Rivadavia said Kalmah's sixth album was "more aggressive than its immediate predecessors".allmusic David E. Gehlke of Blistering was already devoted to Kalmah's previous album, For the Revolution, so he had high expectations for 12 Gauge. He found the album full of "break-neck riff action", "visceral melodies", and "daring" dueling between Antti's guitar and Sneck's keyboard. Although Gehlke believed that Kalmah gets better with each output, he decided that 12 Gauge did not "match the ... glory" of For the Revolution.blistering Jussi Kallinen of Imperiumi.net said that Pekka's vocals harkened back to the band's 2006 album, The Black Waltz. He said the album was not anything new, but he found the production to be the best of Kalmah's releases.imperiumi MetalEater's Sean Bester decided Kalmah's strength lay in their consistency: "releasing energetic and melodic music with consistent intervals of time between them, delivering tracks that are consistently likable, and each one is consistent with the sound they've firmly established for themselves."metaleaterreview NecroWeb gave the album a perfect score, because it was "beautifully arranged", "wonderfully varied", did not contain any filler material, and it succeeded at combining melodic thrash with black metal and death metal.necroweb Chris Colgan, writing for PopMatters, found the album to have the longest and most intricate solos yet, and he, too, mentioned the increased trading off between Antti's and Sneck's solos. He thought it important that Kalmah had "not fallen prey to the tendency of introducing American metal elements or becoming more mainstream with their sound. Their music now is as unique as it was in their early years, if not more so".popmatters Marko Säynekoski of Soundi described the performances as "controlled", "burly", and "performed effortlessly".soundireview Stalker's Kathleen Gransalke admitted that she was unfamiliar with Kalmah's previous work, but she was nevertheless impressed with its technicality, double-guitar melodies, fast solos, and the combining of genres. She called the album "a lot of fun to listen to".stalker "12 Gauge" music video thumb|right|Pekka Kokko singing. Camera effects simulated the influences of a mysterious drink. A music video was created for the song "12 Gauge", though the acoustic intro was excised from the final version.metalunderground It was shot on 20 February 2010 in Pudasjärvi, Finland, blabbermouthfeb in some of the coldest temperatures the country had had in decades.metaldeinterview The morning temperature when the band began filming was recorded at -37 °C °F, rising only to -27 °C °F at the end of the day.blabbermouthfeb The band and camera operator were kept warm by a bonfire, though Antti said that they were used to cold temperatures.metaldeinterview The video, which debuted online on 1 March blabbermouthmarch was produced by the record label, Spinefarm, and Kalmah. The camera and Steadicam operator was Markus Lintu, and Kalmah's bassist, Timo Lehtinen, edited and color-timed the final product.musicvideo The video cuts between two narratives. In the first, a hunter (uncredited actor) straps a 16-gauge shotgun around his shoulder, and tracks footsteps through the snow, eventually finding the Swamplord (the band's mascot, here as depicted on the covers of The Black Waltz and For the Revolution).metaldeinterview In the second narrative, the band members, dressed warmly in heavy clothing, blabbermouthfeb are sitting around a campfire, preparing a kettle of an unknown drink. As each person takes a sip, they begin convulsing. To simulate the drink's effects, the camera used shaking and rapid zooming. As the song finishes, Pekka pours himself a drink and is the only one immune to its effects.musicvideo Track listing Pekka Kokko Rust Never Sleeps 5:16 Antti Kokko One of Fail 4:10 A. Kokko Bullets Are Blind 4:27 A. Kokko Swampwar 4:19 A. Kokko, Pekka Kokko, Timo Lehtinen Better Not to Tell 3:58 A. Kokko Hook the Monster 4:04 P. Kokko Godeye 4:25 Marco Sneck 12 Gauge 5:50 A. Kokko Sacramentum 6:27 Sneck Japanese edition bonus track Cold Sweat 3:10 Thin Lizzy cover John Sykes, Phil Lynott Personnel Band Pekka Kokko − vocals, rhythm guitars, lead guitar Antti Kokko − lead guitar Marco Sneck − keyboards Janne "Kuisma" Kusmin − drums Timo "Lede" Lehtinen − bass Production Håkan Åkesson – mastering Kalmah – arranger, producer Ahti Kortelainen – engineer, mixing Rami Mursula – cover art, layout Vesa Ranta – photography Joona Lukala – LP masteringsvart The Official Kalmah Pig Unit – chorus J-P Peltoniemi – trumpet on "Rust Never Sleeps"linernotes Charts Chart (2010) Peak position Canadian Albums Chartkalmahofficial 32 Finnish Albums Chartfinnishcharts 15 Release history Region Date Label Format Canada 2 March 2010 Spinefarmamazonde hmvca CD Europe 3 March 2010 CD, vinylsvart Japan 24 February 2010 Kinghmv CD United States 6 April 2010 Fontana Universalamazon References 30em http://www.kalmah.com/fans_diary12.html Kalmah – Web Gauge (studio diary) Kalmah.com 2 May 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20110713132924/http://www.kalmah.com/fans_diary12.html dead 13 July 2011 http://www.soundi.fi/node/10108 35 vuotta – 36 biisiä (35 years – 36 songs) Soundi Finnish 2 May 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100916100308/http://soundi.fi/node/10108 dead 16 September 2010 http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=53140 Kalmah to Shoot New Music Video for '12 Gauge' 17 February 2010 Metal Underground.com 25 February 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20110714080652/http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=53140 live 14 July 2011 http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=135695 Kalmah: Photos From '12 Gauge' Video Shoot Posted Online 24 February 2010 Blabbermouth.net Roadrunner Records 2 May 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100310075234/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.Net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=135695 dead 10 March 2010 http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/product/detail/3732876 Kalmah – 12 Gauge HMV Online 24 February 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20110808161130/http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/product/detail/3732876 live 8 August 2011 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0039OC0Q6 12 Gauge – Kalmah Amazon.com 12 March 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20110629160425/http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0039OC0Q6/ live 29 June 2011 http://finnishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Kalmah&titel=12+Gauge&cat=a Kalmah – 12 Gauge (album) FinnishCharts.com Hung Medien 13 March 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20110711003629/http://finnishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Kalmah&titel=12+Gauge&cat=a live 11 July 2011 Kalmah (actors), Timo Lehtinen (editor) 1 March 2010 "12 Gauge music video" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L4rHQu3npQ https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/9L4rHQu3npQ 14 November 2021 live Music video SpinefarmRec 1 May 2010 http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=135973 Kalmah: '12 Gauge' Video Released 2 March 2010 Blabbermouth.net Roadrunner Records 2 May 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100410151225/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=135973 dead 10 April 2010 http://www.svartrecords.com/shoppe/product.php?id_product=76 Kalmah: 12 Gauge LP Svart Records 2 May 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20110716171019/http://www.svartrecords.com/shoppe/product.php?id_product=76 dead 16 July 2011 Kokko, Antti (guitarist) 28 May 2009 "Kalmah 12 Gauge part 3" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvW8uBx6uR8&NR#t=2m37s Streaming video Finnish, English Antti Kokko's YouTube channel Finland 2 May 2010 2 minutes 37 seconds In Kalmah we call this 'Jynkhä'. We don't do upstrikes. Kokko, Antti (guitarist) 28 May 2009 "Kalmah 12 Gauge part 3" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvW8uBx6uR8&NR#t=3m34s Streaming video Finnish, English Antti Kokko's YouTube channel Finland 2 May 2010 3 minutes 34 seconds And then we do 'hionta' as we call it. Kokko, Antti (guitarist) 28 May 2009 "Kalmah 12 Gauge part 3" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvW8uBx6uR8&NR#t=3m55s Streaming video Finnish, English Antti Kokko's YouTube channel Finland 2 May 2010 3 minutes 55 seconds And of course 'perusjynkhä'. http://www.kalmah.com Kalmah news 12 March 2010 Kalmah.com 3 May 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20110207194209/http://kalmah.com/ live 7 February 2011 Sneck, Marco (keyboardist) 3 September 2009 "Kalmah 12 Gauge part 5" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_9nkDHzjZY&NR https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/r_9nkDHzjZY 14 November 2021 live Streaming video Finnish, English Antti Kokko's YouTube channel Finland 3 May 2010 http://www.metal-sound.net/interviews.php?read=kalmah Rust Never Sleeps Vasiljevic Nemanja Marko Miranovic Metal Sound 3 May 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20110310061010/http://metal-sound.net/interviews.php?read=kalmah live 10 March 2011 Kalmah (band), Vesa Ranta 5 October 2009 "Kalmah 12 Gauge part 6" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4DuY2dyA_4 https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/d4DuY2dyA_4 14 November 2021 live Streaming video Finnish, English Antti Kokko's YouTube channel Finland 3 May 2010 http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=133676 Kalmah: Schedules Finnish Dates 19 January 2010 Blabbermouth.net Roadrunner Records 3 May 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100310075358/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=133676 dead 10 March 2010 http://www.necroweb.de/magazin/neues-album/kalmah-12-gauge/ Kalmah – 12 Gauge CD Review Hypnotoad NecroWeb.de German 3 May 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20110719065232/http://www.necroweb.de/magazin/neues-album/kalmah-12-gauge/ live 19 July 2011 http://www.soundi.fi/arvostelut?nid=10470 Kalmah – 12 Gauge Säynekoski Marko February 2010 Soundi Finnish 3 May 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20110720193219/http://www.soundi.fi/arvostelut?nid=10470 dead 20 July 2011 http://www.imperiumi.net/index.php?act=albums&id=10115 Levyarviot: Kalmah – 12 Gauge Kallinen Jussi 3 March 2010 Imperiumi.net Finnish 3 May 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20110723154322/http://www.imperiumi.net/index.php?act=albums&id=10115 live 23 July 2011 http://www.stalker.cd/index.php?lang=1&content=62&kat=cd&id=1750&&lang=2 Reviews; Audio CD – Kalmah Gransalke Kathleen 1 March 2010 Stalker 3 May 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20110706220733/http://www.stalker.cd/index.php?lang=1&content=62&kat=cd&id=1750&&lang=2 live 6 July 2011 http://www.metal.de/stories.php4?was=story&id=1891 Kalmah (interview with Antti) Eckart 27 March 2010 Metal.de German 4 May 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100409163053/http://www.metal.de/stories.php4?was=story&id=1891 live 9 April 2010 http://www.hmv.ca/Search.aspx?keyword=kalmah&filter=all+products 12 Gauge HMV.ca 6 May 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20110706182831/http://www.hmv.ca/Search.aspx?keyword=kalmah&filter=all+products dead 6 July 2011 https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00354MF7E 12 Gauge von Kalmah Amazon.de 6 May 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20220607225332/https://www.amazon.de/12-Gauge-Kalmah/dp/B00354MF7E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297279623&sr=1-1 live 7 June 2022 http://www.metaleater.com/albumreviews-kalmah2010.php Album Reviews – Kalmah – 12 Gauge Bester Sean MetalEater.com 27 May 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20101206195750/http://metaleater.com/albumreviews-kalmah2010.php dead 6 December 2010 http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/122147-kalmah-12-gauge/ Kalmah: 12 Gauge Colgan Chris 5 April 2010 PopMatters 27 May 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20110629103849/http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/122147-kalmah-12-gauge/ dead 29 June 2011 http://www.blistering.com/fastpage/fpengine.php/link/1/templateid/18831/tempidx/4/menuid/2 Blistering.com Review: Kalmah – 12 Gauge Gehlke David E Blistering Blistering Media Inc 27 May 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20110708013437/http://www.blistering.com/fastpage/fpengine.php/link/1/templateid/18831/tempidx/4/menuid/2 live 8 July 2011 12 Gauge Kalmah 2010 CD liner Spinefarm Records http://www.allmusic.com/album/12-gauge-r1737037/review 12 Gauge – Kalmah Review Rivadavia Eduardo Allmusic 23 May 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20101228155635/http://www.allmusic.com/album/12-gauge-r1737037/review live 28 December 2010 Kokko, Antti (guitarist) 18 May 2009 "Kalmah 12 Gauge part 2" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh5zlOTGPWs&t=1m31s https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/kh5zlOTGPWs 14 November 2021 live Streaming video Finnish, English Antti Kokko's YouTube channel] Finland 24 May 2011 1 minutes 31 seconds Antti's turn to play some acoustic stuff. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=148064 Kalmah: Canadian Tour Announced 21 October 2010 Blabbermouth.net 26 May 2011 https://archive.today/20130202035244/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=148064 dead 2 February 2013 http://www.kalmah.com Kalmah – Web Gauge Kalmah.com 26 May 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110713132921/http://kalmah.com/ live 13 July 2011 Killjoy Troy (staff) Kalmah – 12 Gauge review http://www.metalstorm.net/pub/review.php?review_id=8091&page=&message_id= metalstorm.net 30 April 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130916003225/http://metalstorm.net/pub/review.php?review_id=8091&page=&message_id= 16 September 2013 live 24 February 2010 Category:Kalmah albums Category:2010 albums Category:Spinefarm Records albums