User:Atomic Scrap Dragon/sandbox/Our Fragile Echo/Parasitic Cruelty
| Parasitic Cruelty | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 18, 3721 A.A. | |||
| Recorded | 3719-3920 A.A. | |||
| Studio | Päiviö Selänne's Home Studio (Helsinki, Finland) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 87:06 | |||
| Producer | Päiviö Selänne • Sini Nykänen • Kullervo Venäläinen | |||
| Our Fragile Echo chronology | ||||
| ||||
Parasitic Cruelty is the debut studio album of Finnish rock band Our Fragile Echo, independently released on August 18, 3721 A.A. by the band. The album was recorded in the home of lead vocalist Päiviö Selänne over the course of a year-and-a-half without any assistance from a music studio, instead relying on friends and family who would share in a cut of the profits, regardless of the album's success, entirely produced by Päiviö, the band's co-lead vocalist Sini Nykänen, and the band's multi-instrumentalist Kullervo Venäläinen.
Despite being surrounded with controversy, the album still managed to debut at number one on the Billboard 200, selling over 925,000 copies in its first week. Our Fragile Echo released five singles from Parasitic Cruelty for over a year leading up to the album's release: "Born From Depravity", "Suffering", "The Poisoned", "Grief (Honor Is Not For Me)" and "The Night He Died".
As of 3735 A.A. the album has sold 18,947,362 copies, making it the most successful heavy metal album of the 77th century. It is certified 9x Platinum and 1x Diamond by the RIAA in the United States and is certified Multi-Platinum by the Musiikkituottajat in Finland. It was ranked number 5 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums of the 3700s.
Artistry[edit]
Style[edit]
Parasitic Cruelty is a thrash metal, symphonic black metal, gothic metal, doom metal, melodic death metal, and nu metal album that infuses hardcore punk, folk metal, Finnish folk, deathcore, emo, symphonic metal, gothic rock, horror punk, screamo, soft rock, alternative rock, pop punk, punk rock, electronica, post-punk, post-industrial, pop rock, rapcore, nu metalcore, death metal, goth-pop, electropop, R&B, post-rock, industrial, hardcore punk, djent, rock and roll, blues rock, post-nu metal, symphonic death metal, and spoken word in its music.
Themes[edit]
The album's lyrical themes revolve around horror movies, science fiction B-movies, suicide, depression, the meaninglessness of life, religion, Lovecraftian horror, nature, mythology, science fiction, politics, criticism of The Establishment, concern over the destruction of the environment, emotional issues, death, and Finnish Paganism.
The title references to the band's belief that their country's leadership being so cruel to its citizens is a "parasitic cruelty - they control you like a fucking parasite, and that's the most fucked up thing about the Organization of Rift Seekers," as explained by Päiviö herself in a very controversial interview. "They're a fucking parasite and need to be destroyed just like one - from the inside out. One day they're gonna realize we're sick of their corruption and bullshit, and I'll be damned if I won't be there when they realize it."
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Anguish" |
| 5:52 |
| 2. | "Winter's Deceit" |
| 5:25 |
| 3. | "An Ode to Grief" |
| 6:20 |
| 4. | "Nefarious" |
| 4:56 |
| 5. | "Born From Depravity" |
| 8:05 |
| 6. | "Cataclysm" |
| 7:20 |
| 7. | "The Rage In Your Eyes" |
| 9:42 |
| 8. | "Suffering" | Nykänen | 7:02 |
| 9. | "Fearmaster" |
| 6:38 |
| 10. | "The Poisoned" |
| 10:02 |
| 11. | "Shattered" |
| 6:05 |
| 12. | "Grief (Honor Is Not For Me)" | Selänne | 4:25 |
| 13. | "The Night He Died" | Selänne | 5:14 |
| Total length: | 87:06 | ||
Personnel[edit]
- Päiviö Selänne - clean vocals, unclean vocals, rapping (9), voiceover (13), bass, piano (3, 11-13), keyboards (2, 3, 6), harmonica (11, 13), acoustic guitar (10-13), production, mixing, programming, composer, art direction, songwriter
- Sini Nykänen - clean vocals, unclean vocals, lead guitar, acoustic guitar (10-13), synthesizers (2, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13), violin (2, 3, 7, 11-13), viola (2, 3, 7, 13), ukulele (2, 3, 7, 13), paintings, creative direction, songwriter
- Kullervo Venäläinen - clean vocals (11, 13), rhythm guitar, cello (tracks 2, 3, 7, 13), twelve-string guitar (2, 3, 7, 13), production, engineering, editing, songwriter, backing vocals
- Heljä Ketola - double bass, harp (2, 3, 7, 13), saxophone (2, 3, 7, 13), flute (2, 3, 7 13), clarinet (2, 3, 7, 13), trumpet (2, 3, 7, 13), sampling, songwriter, backing vocals
- Hellä Karttunen - drums, percussion, songwriter, backing vocals