From the darkest corners of the North, PAARA return to the surface with their third full-length album, “Laulut tulen ja jään”, set for release on October 30th, 2026 through Dusktone. The first single “Pohjolan” is now streaming HERE. For more than a decade, PAARA have cultivated a vision of Finnish black metal that feels deeply rooted in the landscape that surrounds them. Their music evokes the bleak winds sweeping across the fells, the thousands of lakes and the endless forests of Finland, drawing on the darkness of the old world while allowing moments of unexpected beauty to emerge from within it. Formed around fifteen years ago, PAARA have developed into an entity that thrives on contradiction: brutal yet beautiful, harsh yet strangely comforting, black as the northern night yet capable of revealing flashes of warmth beneath its frozen surface. The band’s modern manifestations began with “Yön olevainen puoli” (2015) and “Riitti” (2018), establishing a distinctive approach to atmospheric black metal that balances aggression with a strong sense of melody and place. After seemingly disappearing from view around 2019, PAARA were never truly gone. The entity had simply retreated into the wilderness, gathering strength and tracing the roots of its inspiration through the darkest reaches of Northern nature and the distant past. Now, in 2026, it emerges once again with “Laulut tulen ja jään”, its most expansive and dynamic manifestation yet. The album moves constantly between razor-sharp black metal assaults and more majestic passages, with clean vocals and choral arrangements often amplifying the grandeur of its most imposing moments. Yet PAARA refuse to settle into a predictable pattern. Their compositions are full of structural turns and unexpected developments, allowing delicate atmospheric passages to surface between the harsher sections. A particularly important role is played by the guitars, with acoustic passages adding an unexpected fragility to the album and creating moments of stillness within its otherwise turbulent landscape. These quieter sections never feel ornamental: they become an integral part of the compositions, opening new perspectives before the music inevitably plunges back into darkness. The songs on “Laulut tulen ja jään” are sharply defined and deliberately varied in their construction. Some unfold across more than ten minutes, patiently developing their ideas and allowing the atmosphere to evolve, while shorter pieces take a more concentrated approach, extracting their impact from carefully shaped moods and textures. Despite the breadth of ideas at work, the album remains remarkably fluid, with each composition finding its own path without disrupting the overall flow. Rich in detail but never cumbersome, “Laulut tulen ja jään” finds PAARA at their most expressive. Riffs, choirs, clean voices, acoustic guitars and atmospheric passages become different facets of the same northern vision, creating an album that can be both savage and majestic, intimate and imposing. The old entity has returned. The darkness of the North has found another voice. Tracklist: CD
1. Tuli
2. Kirveenkantaja
3. Vuorten varjoista
4. Kylmään kylään
5. Kutsuu M.A.N.A.
6. Lapsi päivännäkemätön
7. Pimeyteen
8. Pohjolan
9. Jää VINYL
1. Tuli
2. Kirveenkantaja
3. Kylmään kylään
4. Kutsuu M.A.N.A.
5. Lapsi päivännäkemätön
6. Pohjolan Line-up: Zvartus: guitars, vocals, keyboards & programming
Helmouth: vocals & soundscapes
Hahtezan: vocals
Trangoth: bass
Waara: drums & percussions Credits: “Laulut tulen ja jään” produced by Zvartus & Helmouth.
“Kirveenkantaja” composed by Paara & Iiro “Leper” Illman. Otherwise songs composed by Paara.
Lyrics by Helmouth. Acoustic guitars for “Kutsuu M.A.N.A.” recorded by Jussi Kraft.
Drums recorded by Saku Moilanen at Deep Noise Studios.
All other instruments and vocals recorded by Zvartus, Paara & Ville O. at Chef’s Room Studio, Helsinki.
Album mixed by Zvartus except drums, rhythm guitars & bass mixed by S. Moilanen.
Mastered by S. Moilanen.
Cover art by David Thiérrée.
Logo by Toni Hietomaa.
Crest by Jussi Kandelin.
Photo by Teppo Ristola.
Layout by J.Pihlajaniemi. PAARA https://paara.bandcamp.com/ https://www.facebook.com/paaranmaa https://www.instagram.com/paaraband/ Dusktone https://www.dusktone.it/ https://dusktone.bandcamp.com/ https://www.instagram.com/dusktone/ https://www.facebook.com/dusktone | 
