Planeetta 9 - Pirun Piiska

Life might be real strange and quite hard right now in these times of pandemic, but when it comes to music, these are some of the most exciting times to live in. We have access to music at the click of a button, from anywhere in the world. I for one am grateful to be discovering new music that I otherwise would never find out about if it weren’t for this blog and the album submissions I get from labels and bands for reviews. This week’s completely blew me away. The spotlight shines on a heavy metal sextet from Southern Finland, a band by the name of Planeetta 9 (“Planet 9” in English). And fellas, these guys can play.

Their latest release is an EP titled Pirun piiska. The songs are in Finnish so it just goes to show how music is a universal language as it doesn’t deter at all from the experience of enjoying this gem of an EP, much like listening to opera in Italian or German. For the purposes of this review, I’ll list the Finnish song titles and in parentheses is the rough English translation, courtesy of Google.  The opening cut is the album title track, “Pirun piiska” (The Devil’s Whip). I could hear echoes of Dream Theater, Dio-era Sabbath, and even a splash of Queensryche. Singer Jukka Salo’s vocals take us on a riff-heavy trip, complete with organ-driven rhythms. The second track, “Sama hauta” (Same Grave), is a doomier number, and puts the band’s versatility on display. The third track, “Juoksuhiekka” (Running Sand), caught me off-guard: a subdued, quieter song with cello, violin, and piano that really made me wish I could understand what he was singing about as you can feel Salo’s pain/sadness coming through. I wasn’t able to get a translation for the last song, “Vakuumilapset”, but it’s got a catchy melody with a ballad-like tempo, perhaps a song of hope for the future. And that’s it, folks, the EP comes to a close. It made me wish there were four more songs as I was really digging this different blend of metal than what I’m used to hearing.

Planeetta 9 has released a terrific EP, extremely melodic, and reminiscent of late ‘90s/early 2000s metal. Don’t let the fact that the songs are in Finnish prevent you from getting in on this old school homage to the legendary Metal bands that came before them. An eclectic showcase of Heavy Metal, Doom, and even Folk at times, this offering of four tracks delivers plenty and leaves us wanting more. The burgeoning Finnish Metal scene can add another strong ambassador to its ranks with Planeetta 9. I am eagerly looking forward to a full-length album from this band and they will now be on my radar. Treat yourself and pick up a copy of Pirun piiska.

Planeetta 9’s Bandcamp page: https://planeetta9.bandcamp.com/