“Who would have wanted us to start a new extreme metal band? Well, maybe someone actually would have, but that’s not the case this time, because we have something completely different on the agenda…” The pensive voice belongs to the exceptional guitarist Markus Vanhala (Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum). In the new dark band ›Cemetery Skyline‹, Vanhala is joined by keyboardist Santeri Kallio (Amorphis), drummer Vesa Ranta (Sentenced, The Abbey), bassist Victor Brandt (Dimmu Borgir and many more), and vocalist Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity, The Halo Effect). “With ›Cemetery Skyline‹, we’re venturing into uncharted musical territory—into those darker alleys that are close to our hearts but that we haven’t truly explored before. And we’re all collectively very excited!” One of the key words, Gothic, has already been mentioned. “We all share a deep love for the goth rock of the '80s and '90s—whether it's the more synth-driven or the heavier, guitar-dominated stuff. You know how it is with the best bands, from The Sisters of Mercy to Type O Negative,” says Santeri Kallio, who shares songwriting duties with Vanhala. “But is ‘Cemetery Skyline’ a gothic band? Maybe to some extent, but that's certainly not the whole story. If you have to describe the diverse music of ‘Cemetery Skyline’ in some way, do us a favor and call us ambassadors of melodic, melancholic, and dark rock. Thank you.” The band's lyrics are deeply embedded in the dark gothic atmosphere. Stanne's concept—Mikael uses clean vocals throughout the album for the first time in his remarkable career—dives irresistibly into the paradoxical world of “northern solitude.” "The lyrics are deeply rooted in the self-imposed solitude of Nordic people, their antisocial behavior and their dark sense of humor... When writing the lyrics, I made use of this peculiarity, which could be described as Scandinavian Gothic lifestyle," says Stanne.