I won’t say that
everything is a remix, the guys pointed there are without intention too explicit, is almost plagiarism. On the other hand, I think people like Tarantino do it intentionally, like “
lets put some chambara blood spilling here, a spoonful of Leone spaghetti western pace there and a hint of funky blaxploitation flow over there”. I think that sort of “
practice” is called Pastiche and is also somehow a way of homage, and just the task of choosing what to put in, what blends with what in order to create what I want is hard enough and more than valuable. Just think about a party playlist, a show setlist (please ignore Kerry King & Co’s
last effort), or bands like Ghost and Toxic Holocaust… you’ve heard all that before, but it is quite colorful anyway.
But this also happens unintentionally and not so explicitly. With some bands you may have the reaction “
I’ve never heard something like this, THIS IS SO FRESH”, but then you start to track sounds down, just identifying this never-heard-thing with other shit you have checked, but perhaps forgot it. Haapoja gives me that glorious sensation. Feels like all happens so organically, like eating a pig that’s fed with hormones; you eat it, and then you start growing boobs. This guys are fed and flooded on sweet stuff, that is actually hard to track their sources, about it I can just mention stuff like the guitar work of Blasphemer in Mayhem and Czral in Virus and Ved Buens Ende… and even Deathspell Omega and the classic finnish death metal band Mordicus (grooves I say!). These are big names in extreme metal, that perhaps gets Haapoja drunk, and then vomits it in a deliciously crafted form of metallic hardcore. Maybe I am missing a ton of other stuff, is just my cheap background.
As a finnish act, Haapoja are also having their own thing. Hailing from Oulu, this band formed around 2011. With not too much bio information about them on the web, they have released an EP in 2011 and an LP this year and appeared in the very tasteful Blastbeat Mailmurder’s Monomaniac Vol 2 & 3 compilation. I don’t think their releases sound too different from each other, the vocals maybe differ, but they truly build a jawdropping continuation.
I know nowadays to talk about originality is a waste and shit, but really, this band made me dream about the possibility of ever abusing music. It is just too fresh, mos def ice cold.
Quoting Nail’s Todd Jones “
Metal has been written, and now all you have to do is study it. I mean, that’s it. The door is closed. There’s no more original.”, but Haapoja has written a laureated thesis folks, and let’s just wait what months of not being exposed to the sun will bring.
PS: Til now, everything can be streamed and downloaded from their bandcamp… DONATE OR DIE IN FIRE!!
- download -
1. Suuren Varjon Alla
2. Ihmisyyden Raja
3. Elämän Vaihtokauppa
4. Takauma
5. 360 Astetta
6. Kerosiini
7. Suurempi, Hallitsematon
8. Kolmetoista Askelta
9. Ikuistettu
1. Rajamailla
2. Tajunnan Laidalla
3. Hallitsematonta Voimaa
4. Ihmiskoe
5. Tartunta
6. Teko Tapaani Johtaa
