Ever since their first cassette back in 1997, Stam1na has constantly been inventing new and exciting ways to spice up heavy and progressive thrash metal. From art rock to jazz fusion, these mad Finnish scientists have tried it all. They've garnered quite an audience for their shenanigans, too. Seventy thousand monthly listeners, millions of plays, and awards up the you-know-where. "Apnea" is an LP I'm very excited for. Who wouldn't be for a thrash song with a guest trombonist?

The progressive rock begins the second my finger hits "play." While "Pohjoinen lehto" is only an intro, it's still groovy. Is it necessary? No. Is it fun? Sure! The real deal starts with "Opas," an evil melodic thrasher laden with varied horn instruments. Satanic growling and premium, clean singing clash throughout this sprawling track. Every time the horns, trumpets, and saxophones come into play, my excitement ramps up a couple notches. What a start to an album. "Golem" is about as heavy as the song's namesake creature. The energy is infectious to the third degree, even when the riffs seep into the Golem's mud. My phone wants me to turn my volume down, but that's not happening any time soon. "Satiiri" makes "Golem" pale in comparison in terms of technicality. Near the end of the song, Markus Pajakkala's saxophone riff forced my jaw further onto the floor. It was already on the hardwood due to the instrumental prowess of the group, but there's always something unexpectedly impressive with these guys. "Kaarmeennyrkki," while a bit basic for Stam1na, was a solid song with plenty of melody.

"Lahja" stirs the pot with a djent-shaped spoon. It's the second calm track in a row, and the first to feature prominently clean vocals, but the synths, riffs, and heavy metal drumming support it well. The fade-out is long, but oh well. "Anna minun olla heikoin lenkki," or "Let me be the weakest link," jumps back into the band's thrashy attitude I've grown to love. While it's not the strongest track of the project (weakest link, maybe?), it's still enjoyable. "Toivonkipina" is the furthest the band will stray into death metal, but they pull themselves back into their proggy thrash surroundings. So many layers and ideas are explored by Stam1na in these seven minutes, from jazzy breaks to pulverizing brutality. Finally, the self-titled "Apnea" closes the LP with a sense of pride.

I am simply blown away by Stam1na. "Apnea" is their first release I've listened to, and I have to go and complete their discography. Their blend of thrashy, proggy, heavy metal with a sundry of instruments is right up my alley. I may sound like a Finnish weeb here, but Stam1na is just another reason why Finland is the capital of metal.