Finnish Symphonic Death Metal Descends Into a Spirit-Haunted Wilderness

Finnish metal continues to birth bands that blur the line between brutality and beauty — and KARU stands firmly at the center of this storm. With their new album Perdition, released on November 21st, 2025, the trio delivers their most cinematic and spiritually charged work yet: a descent into a mythical Japanese wilderness where ancient spirits whisper, shadows bloom into violence, and no one emerges unchanged.

This is symphonic death metal at its most mythic, atmospheric, and unapologetically ferocious.

A Journey Into the Spirit Forest

Perdition is a concept album woven around a fantasy-Japan shaped by folklore and darkness.
Here, the forests breathe.
Here, every path is cursed with memory.
Here, the line between mortal and spirit dissolves like ash in the wind.

The album guides the listener through seven chapters:

1. Shores of Mist and Blood
2. Shadow War
3. Alone in the Forest
4. Embers in the Skies
5. Trail of Fire
6. Path of the Unforgiven
7. Perdition

From the cold, drifting intro to the title track’s apocalyptic climax, KARU crafts an experience that feels less like an album — and more like stepping into a cinematic dark fantasy.

The New Face of KARU

Lineup

• Niko Hienonen – Vocals, Production, Orchestrations
• Kalle Pöyskö – Guitars
• Toni Tieaho (ex–Mors Principium Est, Crystalic) – Lead Guitars

With the addition of guitar virtuoso Toni Tieaho, KARU’s sound has sharpened into something monumental.
Brutality and melody clash like steel-on-steel, while sweeping orchestrations carve out vast landscapes of atmosphere and myth.

What You’ll Hear

• Vicious death metal riffs tempered by icy, sorrow-laced melodies
• Thunderous growls paired with haunting whispers and emotive clean moments
• Cinematic orchestral layers that build tension like a film score
• Japanese-influenced motifs that feel both ancient and otherworldly

This is not symphonic metal applied as gloss.
This is orchestration as narrative — world-building, mood-shaping, soul-crushing.

From Studio Project to Mythcraft

KARU began in 2017 as the studio creation of Pöyskö and Hienonen. Their debut EP (2020) hinted at what was coming: massive riffs, sweeping orchestration, and a growing obsession with storytelling.

By 2023, KARU transformed into a full live band, releasing singles that paved the way for their acclaimed 2024 debut album HYDRA — a record celebrated for its bold fusion of harshness and elegance.

But even before HYDRA reached listeners, the band was already constructing their next world: a spirit-ridden Japan where every forest hides an omen.

Finished in 2025, Perdition marks their most ambitious step yet — heavier, grander, and more emotionally charged.

For Fans of Frost, Fury, and Cinematic Metal

If you’re drawn to the intersection of violence and atmosphere, Perdition is essential.
Recommended for listeners of:

• Wintersun
• Children of Bodom
• Nightwish
• Fleshgod Apocalypse
• Mors Principium Est

KARU stands proudly among these giants, forging their own path through snow and shadow.

Verdict: A Ritual Worth Witnessing

Perdition is not a passive listen.
It drags you deep into a world of spirits, sorrow, and steel — a world KARU conjures with disarming precision.

This album doesn’t ask for your attention.
It seizes it.
And when the final notes fade, you realize you’ve survived something ancient, beautiful, and terrifying.

KARU don’t just write records.
They summon realms.

And Perdition is their darkest realm yet.

Listen / Watch

Album Stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04IM5g4-TSI

Shadow War (Lyric Video): https://youtu.be/kmaz_NyPDOo

Alone In The Dark (Lyric Video): https://youtu.be/Dq1qj6B-ukE

Connect with KARU

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karu_band/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KARUbandofficial

Label: https://www.rockshots.eu