Hidden Gems & Guilty Pleasures: Cemetery Skyline (Sweden/Finland)
Photos by Sam Jamsen
Cemetery Skyline (Gothic Metal // Sweden/Finland)
Cemetery Skyline is a “Nordic Gothic” supergroup featuring members of Dark Tranquillity, Amorphis, Dimmu Borgir, Insomnium, Sentenced and more.
The band’s line-up consists of Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity, The Halo Effect, Grand Cadaver) on vocals, Markus Vanhala (Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum, I Am The Night) on guitar, Santeri Kallio (Amorphis, Kyyria) on keyboards, Victor Brandt (Dimmu Borgir, Witchery, ex-Entombed/Entomed A.D., ex-Firespawn) on bass and Vesa Ranta (The Abbey, ex-Sentenced) on drums.
After summoning a »Violent Storm« in early April, Cemetery Skyline are now shrouding you »In Darkness«.
“It is a song about losing your sense of self in all kinds of misery and doubt,” says Mikael Stanne about the lyrics of the song while Santeri Kallio sheds light on the music: “I like to think that people feel the melody and the vibe with this one. It’s taking me back to a gothic disco in Düsseldorf in ’96. There is a lot of smoke, a lot of lights, good melodies, a nice and steady beat.” Markus Vanhala further elaborates: “After the first single it shows a different side of goth. Goths like to dance… in darkness. Dancing with themselves or with myself, like Billy Idol once said, who had a valid point.”
»In Darkness« is out on all digital platforms and you can watch the video that was directed by Patric Ullaeus (rEvolver Film Company) and filmed in a famous theater in Gothenburg.
Revisit »Violent Storm« to watch the whole band coming together for the very first time before finally entering the stage.
“The weather forecast points to a Nordic gothic storm that is rising,” says Markus Vanhala. “The song mood is highly inspired by the late nightly empty roads of Goth-emburg and their desperate stories of loneliness and getting lost to the unique beautiful misery and sorrow of Nordic gothic.” Mikael Stanne adds: “It’s about a built-up frustration and how it can get out of hand, the feeling of helplessness and how it can take over.” Santeri Kallio concludes: “It’s a simple, rocky song that represents the band perfectly.”
Check out »Violent Storm« on all digital platforms make sure to watch the video that was filmed by Patric Ullaeus (rEvolver Film Company), as it documents a very special moment in the band’s history.
“The video is telling the story of how this weird gang of friends is literally coming together,” says Vanhala and Kallio adds: ”We take a walk through an old cemetery and actually meet as a band for the very first time.”
Cemetery Skyline will play their live premiere at John Smith Rock Festival in Laukaa, Finland on August 18-20, 2024.
Courtesy of Century Media Records
Discography:
• »Violent Storm« Single (Century Media Records, 2024)
• »In Darkness« Single (Century Media Records, 2024)
Band members:
Mikael Stanne – Vocals
Markus Vanhala – Guitars
Santeri Kallio – Keyboards
Victor Brandt – Bass
Vesa Ranta – Drums
For fans of The 69 Eyes, HIM, Type O Negative, Paradise Lost, Sentenced, Tiamat, Charon, The Sisters Of Mercy, Fields Of The Nephilim
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well