As the hype -- in and out of metal circles -- around this year's Tomb Mold album (Decibel's #5 album of 2019) and today's Blood Incantation (Decibel's #1 album of 2019) release reveals, death metal is all the rage right now. And one thing a lot of the great newer death metal bands have in common is a love for classic Finnish death metal which greatly influenced their sound, and in turn their choice of collaborators (Demilich vocalist Antti Boman can be heard growling on track 3 of the new Blood Incantation) and tour-mates (Blood Incantation recently toured with Demilich, which was before touring with non-Finnish influences like Florida's Morbid Angel, Florida via NY's Cannibal Corpse, and NY's Immolation) (Blood Incantation is really good at being on cool tours).

In 2016, Tomb Mold -- who just had a demo out at the time -- had this to say to Decibel:

We were especially drawn to the aesthetic of some of those [early Finnish] demos, especially the Convulse and Demilich tapes. We also really love bands like Purtenance, and Rippikoulu. They’re just so pummelling and atmospheric. Not a lot of frills. . . .

Finnish death metal vets Rippikoulu released two beloved demos in the early '90s, and then disappeared before finally re-emerging in 2014 with the Ulvaja EP.

Decibel went on to point out that while it's true that Tomb Mold is pulling from those influences (on their demo), it does not mean they are copying fellow Finnish death metal influenced Canadian band Chthe’ilist who are also awesome but different...

Tomb Mold sound like Chthe’ilist like Morte Incandescente sound like Black Cilice. AKA Not one bit. Yet while not sounding like Chthe’ilist, necessarily, Tomb Mold’s “The Bottomless Perdition” tape gives me the same kind of chilly-willies that Amechth’ntaas’m’rriachth (Chthe’ilist’s demo) once did, and still totally does.

Chthe’ilist released their first and only proper album, the great and techy Le dernier crépuscule, in 2016 (Decibel's 29th favorite of that year).

Now another great pairing of a Finnish great with a great band that their sound helped influence has been announced. Rippikoulu -- who played Maryland Deathfest in 2018 -- will head out on a 2020 North American tour with Chthe'ilist, for whom this is actually the first proper tour ever ("touring is no longer impossible for Chthe'ilist as we have finally secured a touring line-up"). Rounding out the bill is Chicago DMers Nucleus. All dates (including Brooklyn's Saint Vitus on 4/11) are listed along with some videos, below....

RIPPIKOULU / CHTHE'ILIST / NUCLEUS -- 2020 Tour dates:

04/03 - Cleveland, OH - Maple Grove Tavern

04/04 - Detroit, MI - TBD

04/05 - Chicago, IL - Cobra Lounge

04/06 - Indianapolis, IN - Black Circle Brewing

04/07 - Columbus, OH - TBD

04/08 - Pittsburgh, PA - Cattivo's

04/09 - Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery

04/10 - Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie

04/11 - New York, NY - Saint Vitus

04/12 - Montreal, QC - Piranha Bar