| Skepticism | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Riimäki, Southern Finland |
| Genres | Funeral Doom Metal |
| Years active | 1991 - Present |
| Labels | Red Stream, Svart |
| Associated acts | Thromdarr, The Dead Beginners, Autumn Verses |
| Website | Skepticism.fi |
| Current members | Matti Jani Kekarainen Pasi Pöyry Lasse Pelkonen |
| Past members | J. Korpihete |
Skepticism is a funeral doom metal band founded in 1991 in Riihimäki in Southern Finland. The band, along with Thergothon, are considered to be pioneers of funeral doom, a particularly dark and atmospheric sub-genre of doom metal.
History[]
Skepticism began as a death metal band, with a formation that includes: vocals, two guitars, bass and drums. The musical style of the band started to vary with the years and with it the formation: keyboardist Eero Pöyry replaced one of the guitarists.
In 1995 with the release of Stormcrowfleet (Red Stream, 1995) the current formation of the band is defined with the departure of the bassist Korpihete. The use of the organ has allowed the band to create dark and tension-filled atmospheres, outlining unique sounds in the genre. Their attitude towards subsequent releases is peculiar; the albums Lead and Aether (Red Stream, 1998) and Farmakon (Red Stream, 2003) are preceded by two EPs, respectively Ethere (Red Stream, 1998) and The Process of Farmakon (Red Stream, 2002), containing different versions of the same track proposed in the albums, consider for example the tracks "The March and the Stream" (contained in The Process of Farmakon) and "The Raven and the Backward Funeral" (contained in Farmakon).
After five years of silence, on 20 October 2008, their fourth full-length, Alloy was released, published like the previous ones via Red Stream. To support Alloy the band would tour Europe in 2008 and 2009. On 28 January 2012 the band would perform a special show for their twentieth anniversary. This would take place at St. Giles in London, their first ever live performance in the UK.[1]
A follow-up in Ordeal would be released via Svart Records on 18 September 2015, with the band performing at Festivals all over the world in support. A sixth studio album in Companion would be released on 24 September 2021 via Svart Records.[2]
Members[]
Current Members[]
- Matti Tilaeus - Vocals (1991 - Present)
- Jani Kekarainen - Guitar (1991 - Present)
- Eero Pöyry - Keyboards (1991 - Present)
- Lasse Pelkonen - Drums (1991 - Present)
- Timo Sitomaniemi - Live Guitar (2015 - Present)
Past Members[]
- J. Korpihete – Bass (1991 - 1992)
- Tobias Kellgren - Vocals (1991 - 1993)
Discography[]
Studio Albums[]
- Stormcrowfleet (1995, Red Stream)
- Lead and Aether (1998, Red Stream)
- Farmakon (2003, Red Stream)
- Alloy (2008, Red Stream)
- Ordeal (2015, Svart Records)
- Companion (2021, Svart Records)
Demos, Singles & EPs[]
- Towards My End (7" Single, 1992)
- Aeothe Kaear (Demo, 1994)
- Ethere (EP, 1997, Red Stream)
- Aes (EP, 1999, Red Stream)
- The Process of Farmakon (EP, 2002, Red Stream)
List of Known Tours[]
- Exorcising The Funereal (With Ophis, Pantheist) (2008)[3]
- The Maniacal Alloy (With Esoteric) (2009)[4]
- Winter 2009 Russian Tour (2009)[5]