Take one cup of old school Black Metal, and a helping of contemporary Black Metal, mix in a well beaten egg or two of Iron Maiden’s galloping rhythms, and top off with the occasional solo that wouldn’t be out of place on a Death Metal record. Bake for 41 minutes and you will have yourself a delicious little treat in the shape of Okta by Finnish band Saitma.​

That’s the recipe, laid out plainly. But the magic, the sheer, beautiful contradiction of it all, is that Saitma doesn’t just manage to juggle these disparate, aggressive ingredients—they forge them into a cohesive, lethal weapon on Okta. This is not some band throwing parts at the wall to see what sticks; this is calculated, potent aggression that honors its influences while utterly refusing to be defined by them.​

The core identity of Okta is built upon that dual foundation of Black Metal. It possesses the raw, snarling, unrefined aggression of the old guard—the kind of chaotic fury that sounds like it was recorded in a frozen bunker—but it delivers that malice with the surgical precision and high production standards of the contemporary scene. The guitars are layered, dense, and piercing, but they never sacrifice the essential grit required to keep the music honest. This balance ensures that while the album is complex, it retains the vital, volatile spirit of the underground.

​What truly defines the momentum of this 41-minute assault is the relentless deployment of blast beats. Saitma leans into them heavily, cementing the album’s foundation in pure, uncompromising Black Metal violence. The drumming is a furious, constant engine of percussive trauma, establishing a pace that is both demanding and unforgiving. This isn’t a subtle atmosphere; this is high-velocity sonic warfare.​

Yet, this constant velocity is precisely what makes the brief, calculated shifts in tempo so effective. The drumming utilizes those galloping rhythms and mid-tempo changes not as the primary mode of attack, but as an aggressive, welcome break. When the band briefly pulls back from the hyper-speed chaos, the listener is rewarded with that infectious, Iron Maiden-esque forward momentum, injecting a dynamic energy that few Black Metal outfits achieve. It proves that Saitma understands control: they smash you with speed until you are broken, and then briefly switch to a crushing gallop just to ensure the damage is permanent.​

Saitma ensures the melodic element is derived directly from the rhythm and the precision of the guitars. The melodies are aggressive, cutting, and embedded in the sharp, precise execution of the riffing, giving the music a muscularity that defies the often-thin sound associated with the genre’s purists.​

​The contrasting influences don’t end with the rhythm. The band’s willingness to abruptly shift gears provides the album’s necessary dynamic edge. When the time comes for a lead break, Saitma throws caution and genre rules to the wind. The occasional solo that emerges wouldn’t be out of place on a high-grade Death Metal record. These aren’t atmospheric sweeps or mournful echoes; they are technically demanding bursts of aggression, delivered with a speed and technicality that provides a jarring, yet totally satisfying, contrast to the foundational Black Metal structure. They serve as brief, sharp explosions of technical death before the band plunges back into the punishing, familiar blast.​

The brevity of the album is another absolute strength. At 41 minutes, Okta is a masterful lesson in efficiency. There is no filler, no self-indulgent atmosphere tracks, and no wasted minutes of noodling. Every blast, every riff, every tempo change, every vicious vocal delivery is placed precisely where it needs to be to achieve maximum impact. The band gets in, destroys everything, and gets out before the listener can recover—leaving behind a ringing echo that demands immediate repeat listening.​

Saitma has achieved something genuinely unique here: they have synthesized disparate, aggressive genres into a cohesive, focused sound that is both punishingly heavy and furiously dynamic. Okta is a testament to technical skill serving the song, proving that true Black Metal fury doesn’t have to be mindless—it can be strategic, intelligent, and relentlessly punishing.

Okta by Saitma is available via the Fluttering Dragon Records Bandcamp page.

CHOICE CUT: The Scenes of Destruction Outdo all Memories

BLACK METAL ARCHIVES VERDICT: Saitma’s Okta is relentless, strategic Black Metal fury. Driven by heavy blasts and occasional aggressive technicality, this 41-minute album achieves crushing efficiency. A truly essential, uncompromising Black Metal statement.