(Andy Synn prepared this review of the new album by the Finnish band Hallatar.)

Perhaps more than most, it’s important to understand a little bit about this album’s background and the context surrounding its creation.

In April 2016, several months before the eventual release of their debut album, Trees of Eternity vocalist Aleah Stanbridge (also a frequent collaborator with Swallow the Sun and Amorphis) sadly passed away.

Earlier this year her long-time partner Juha Raivio (also of Swallow the Sun) took some personal time away from his main band in order to immerse himself in the writing process for what would, eventually, become No Stars Upon the Bridge and, over the course of a single week, composed the majority of the material which you’ll find here as both a form of much-needed catharsis and as a eulogy to his lost love, whose lyrics and poems provided the basis for much of the album’s lyrical content. Continue reading »