Vinum Sabbatum

Vinum Sabbatum
Background information
Origin	Vihtijärvi, Finland
Genres	Heavy Rock, Doom Rock, Stoner Rock
Years active	2008 - Present
Labels	Eyes Like Snow
Website	Facebook

Vinum Sabbatum is a band from Finland. Starting in 2008, this quintet exudes a sound heavily inspired by the darker sides of 60s and 70s hard rock, heavy metal and early doom metal such as Pentagram, Sabbath, Atomic Rooster and Iron Claw. Since their formation the group has managed to release three studio albums.

History

The band was formed in early 2009 when founding members Mika Pajula and original guitarist Juha Köykkä, along with drummer Marko Jylhä-Ollila, started to rehearse behind the locked doors. Intensive jam sessions evolved to the point where it was obvious that a lead singer and organ player was needed to breathe those instrumental ideas into complete songs. By March 2009, Janne Salo; a man with rich and distinctive voice became the front man. The quest to find an organist with a style to match Ken Hensley and Jon Lord-type playing seemed to be almost impossible task. Few months down the line, guy named Tomi Korpela was more than willing to help out the band to record their first demo-EP in November. After Tomi’s own projects was put on hold for a while - amongst them Uriah Heep-cover band ‘Innocent Victims’ - he became a permanent member of Vinum Sabbatum.

After moving their rehearsal place from Tuusula to Hyvinkää, they released a self-financed 5-track demo ‘Songs from the Convent’ in February 2010. Black Sabbath-laden riffing of ‘Demon Dance (Chorea Sancti Viti)’ combined with easy rocking ‘Witch Woman’ paved the way for the whole print (300 copies) to be sold-out within months and a record-deal with Northern Silence Productions sublabel Eyes Like Snow soon followed. The following year Vinum Sabbatum continued to perform gigs around the clubs in Finland and started to record their first full-length album. In September 2011 they released a split-EP with UK’s own riff-wizards Groan through Doomanoid Records. Soon after the original drummer was asked to step down and he was replaced with another ‘Innocent Victim’ member Jarno Jaakkola.

Eyes Like Snow reissued ‘Songs from the Convent’ officially with new mix and artwork in January 2012 and both releases - the split-EP and reissue - gained immensely good reviews. In May 2012 Vinum Sabbatum finally finished recording and mixing of their full-length album titled ‘Bacchanale Premiere.’ The album was released in August 2012 including seven brand new tracks which showcases a band pushing the boundaries of ordinary by adding even more progressive elements and nuances to their already heavy sound.

Between 2013-2014, Vinum Sabbatum did occasional gigs in Finland and continued to write new songs. Altough gaining good reviews for ‘Bacchanale Premiere’ album, the band concentrated mainly rehearsing and shaping their sound and wasn’t so much under the radar publicly. As the musical direction had naturally grown towards much more complex and layered form, founding member and original guitarist Juha Köykkä decided to leave in November 2014. This setback put the band on a hold for a while.

In December 2014 Vinum Sabbatum moved their camp to Vihtijärvi, nearby Espoo and started to look for new guitarist. Janne Riihimäki did notice advertisement through the internet and passed audition with flying colors. He became officially the new guitarist and backing vocalist in January 2015. Janne’s influences and playing style draws from different fields of 60's and 70's rock, from Beatles to King Crimson, and his input will be significant factor in the future.

First months of 2015 has been positive and uplifting time after those few years spent in silence. New material has emerged in a such short space of time. Taste of new material will be available in demo form in immediate future. In 2016 the band released their second official album Apprehension via Eyes Like Snow

Discography

• Songs From The Convent (Demo) (2010, Self-released; 2012, Eyes Like Snow)
• Groan / Vinum Sabbatum (Split with Groan) (2011, Doomanoid)
• Bacchanale Premiere (Album) (2012, Eyes Like Snow)
• Apprehension (Album) (2016, Eyes Like Snow)

Members

• Janne Salo: Vocals
• Janne Riihimäki : Guitar & Background Vocals
• Tomi Korpela: Organ & Keyboards
• Mika Pajula: Bass
• Jarno Jaakkola: Drums

External Links

• Bandcamp