Hallatar's debut album was released in October 2017
Hallatar performed on June 22nd at the John Smith Rock Festival in Finland. The band consists of Tomi Joutsen from Amorphis , Juha Raivio from Swallow The Sun and Trees Of Eternity , and Gas Lipstick , former drummer of Him .
The band emerged after the passing of Aleah Starbridge , vocalist of Trees Of Eternity and wife of Juha Raivio. “After the death of my beloved and life partner, Aleah, last April, I have been collecting her lyrics and poems to keep them safe and close to my heart. About a month after the world fell on the darkest day of my life on April 18th, I knew I needed to pick up the guitar and try to create something or I would truly be destroyed. And something emerged from the darkness, and I wrote the song for the Hallatar album in a week. I don't have much memory of that week, nor a recollection of a single day writing the song. But all I remember when I entered that abyss of the writing process was a promise to myself that the song would come out and I wouldn't change anything afterwards; what mattered was that the song would remain forever as an absolute truth of those moments.”
Tomi Joutsen said: “I’ve known Juha since 2007, when we first worked together. A few years ago I had the privilege of meeting Juha’s life partner, Aleah, who was such a beautiful person, inside and out, and had an angelic voice. Aleah lent her voice to Amorphis’ last album, and we called her ‘the whispering ghost.’ When I heard about Aleah’s passing, it was a total shock and breathtaking news. When Juha asked me if I would like to be a part of this album and carry Aleah’s flame with him, I didn’t have to think twice. When everything is taken away, what remains is the music. Sadness strips us bare and humbles us – that’s how it sounds.”.
Hallatar's debut album, No Stars Upon the Bridge , is based on the lyrics and poems of Aleah Starbridge and was released last October by Svart Records.
