Ajattara

Ajattara is a five-piece black metal band from Helsinki, Finland led by Pasi Koskinen (ex Amorphis). They formed in 1996, split up in 2012, and reformed in 2016. They were signed to Spinefarm Records and have released eight albums, their most recent being "Lupaus", which was released in May 2017.
History.
Ajattara formed in 1996 as a side project of Amorphis singer Pasi Koskinen. Their first release was a demo tape entitled "Helvetissä on syntisen taivas" which was released in 1998. The band then signed to Spikefarm Records and went on to release three albums - "Itse" in 2001, "Kuolema" in 2003 and "Tyhjyys" in 2004. These albums were met with largely good reviews. Ajattara released the Christmas singles "Ilon juhla" in November 2004 and "Joulu" in November 2005. The band then went on to release another album in 2006, entitled "Äpäre", which was met with similar reviews as their last three albums. The band continued with the Christmas single tradition of 2004 and 2005 by releasing a single entitled "Sika" in 2006.
The band entered the studio on 1 June 2007 to begin recording on the album "Kalmanto" which was released on 5 September 2007. However, this album was not met with such good reviews as Ajattara's other albums, as some critics said the album sounded chaotic and forced. In April 2009 Ajattara released their sixth album entitled "Noitumaa", this time being an all-acoustic album, which received clearly better reviews than the previous release. In 2011 the band released their seventh studio album "Murhat".
The band made an announcement on its Facebook page on 15 April 2012 that it had split up for reasons unknown.
On 23 March 2016 the band made an announcement on their Facebook page that they will be playing at the Norwegian Blastfest in February 2017. Shortly after, on 9 May 2016, Pasi Koskinen announced the reunion of the band, announcing further live dates including Nummirock 2016 in Finland and Satan's Convention 2017 in Germany.
In May 2017 the band released "Lupaus", their eighth studio album and first since their reformation.
Musical style.
Ajattara combine elements of black metal to produce a style of black metal not dissimilar to Celtic Frost, and to a lesser extent Samael. The combined use of synthesisers and heavy guitar sounds give Ajattara a distinct sound. The lyrical themes of Ajattara usually deal with death, evil and paganism.
Discography.
Studio albums
Compilation albums
Demo albums
Singles