In their heavy music, Occult Master combines elements of 1970s and 1980s heavy and prog rock. The album's tracks range from more straightforward rockers to massive epics. Running through the entire album is an uncompromising attitude to create harsh and honest heavy rock, with a good song at its core.
The album's soundscape is raw and pleasantly authentic. You can hear that the music was played live in the studio, as a band. Unnecessary fussiness and extreme polishing have been left out. This results in the album breathing, sounding fresh and invigorating, and human. However, the music itself is not simple ; on the contrary, progressive, complex, and surprising parts flow seamlessly, forming an interesting musical journey. Thoughtful lyrics, deviating from the run of the mill, create a mystical aura for the dark-toned music.
The lineup features Ari Eskola (guitar and vocals), Toni Mäki (bass and backing vocals), and Jussi Risto (drums). The debut album from the Occult Master trio, signed to Inverse Records, does not disappoint and promises quality music in the future: the next album's worth of material is already almost ready.
"Occult Master was founded in 2012 in Oulu, Finland, first starting as a heavy rock/doom band. After a line‑up change in 2020, the musical style turned faster, more rhythmic and more complex. Occult Master’s music is heavy, versatile and full of nuances, ranging from full‑throttle metal blasting to quiet, subtle and beautifully eerie musical landscapes. The band’s roots lie strongly in the classic heavy metal of the 1970s and 1980s. The songs are delivered in a hardy, straightforward and no‑nonsense style. In the dark‑toned music, the lyrics deal with different matters of life and the world in general, and at times even horror stories told with a devilish grin.
