Lost in Oblivion: Syyskuu (Finnish post punk/goth)

 

   From the darkest corners of rock's forgotten basement, I bring you, September.

   Finnish goth/post punk band Syyskuu (Finnish for "September") was the first goth band in Finland. Active in the first half of the 80s, the band from Seinäjoki released one single (Susi, 1983) and one full-length LP (Sator, 1984) through Kumibeat.

   The band was made up of vocalist/ guitarist Jyrki Kortesniemi, bassist Artsi, saxophonist Raimo Katajarahko, and drummer Ari Lahti. Unfortunately any further information about the band, such as exact dates, or other details, evade me to this day. In other words, this band is just about as goth as it gets.

   The 1983 single Susi (b-side Dracula) is perhaps the band's most well known release in the Finnish post-punk scene and rightfully so. No compilation or playlist of Finnish goth would ever be complete without mention of the band that started it all. Unmistakably goth, the band's dark yet electrifying sound of heavy bass and rapid, acidic guitar flavour would be no stranger in legendary club Batcave, and perhaps their music did grace the british deathrockers alongside Bauhaus and Specimen.

   Despite its short lifespan and limited releases, Syyskuu, as pioneers of post punk in Finland, have influenced the Finnish music scene greatly, setting the tone for the dark revolution that would soon sweep the western world in the form of dark, Finnish music. From contemporary goth bands such as Masquerade, to internationally acclaimed goth-n-rollers The 69 Eyes, and the hordes of dark, broody metal bands that come out of Finland every year to set the pace of metal music worldwide, the dark legacy of "kaamos" in music continues, and the four young boys in unasuming black blazers were the ones that started it all.

   Speaking of legacy, the bassist, Artsi, who now spells it Archzie (the one on the far right of the band picture, with the hat) would go on to join Finnish goth legends The 69 Eyes. I wonder how that felt, going from one goth band with a Jyrki vocalist to another goth band with a Jyrki vocalist... glitch in the matrix, perhaps?

   Batcave fans, as well as fans of "traditional" goth music, post-punk, and deathrock, and in particular fans of Alien Sex Fiend, Sexbeat, and Specimen, are sure to find their new favourite song in Syyskuu. Obscure as it may be and largely unheard of outside the Finnish underground, this band has an undeniable batcave taste that will keep even the most skeptical of early-goth afficionados sated.