Otu – Apocalypse/ Apocalypse Aftermath (Double EP)

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · Published April 25, 2025 · Updated April 25, 2025

Otu Suurmunne is a songwriter based in Helsinki, Finland. He is best known for his incredible work as the guitarist and vocalist for the mighty Kaiser, who just released their sophomore album 2nd Sound (review here) back in early March. Otu is a constant creator of music and has a fantastic YouTube page where he does excellent mashups of music and lyrics to popular songs within the genre, mostly. Otu has full albums out of this stuff which blew my mind! These are definitely worth checking out. Both of these Apocalypse EPs were at least partially written back in 2012. Otu revisited and revised these songs and recorded new tracks of guitar and vocals. He plays all of the instruments on these recordings which is very impressive. Here’s a statement from Otu that describes the process: “Apocalypse originally dropped in 2012 as a raw, heavy-hitting stoner and sludge metal album by Otu. Defined by its grimy textures and dark atmosphere, the record stood out thanks to the wild tones of the zVex Fuzz Factory pedal and a gritty, software-driven bass. At the time, the release flew under the radar—but in 2025, with a broader listener base and a fresh perspective, Otu has revisited the project. The result is a reimagined double EP, refined but still drenched in the original chaos and heaviness that made Apocalypse so distinct.” Apocalypse/ Apocalypse Aftermath (Double EP) came out on April 7th 2025 and contains ten tracks at around thirty six minutes long.

“Hell Breaks Loose” is a mammoth stampede on our eardrums. The song is a sludgy and diabolical massacre of metal chugging doom. The heavy beat down riffs and high guitar squeals spew forth a new force in extreme music. Otu strikes me as the kind of person that will think of an idea and then execute it as soon as possible. His masterful riffing and nasty screaming vocals are a good combination. The music is as heavy as possible with tons of fuzzy layers draped over the top. The sound has a very hardcore energy with obliterating heavy and swampy rhythms. It’s abrasive but organic! “Promise” slithers on and breaks out such a killer groove. The guitar squeals return with a heavy barrel of sludge. Otu throws some chuggy death metal into this one and it’s a prodding avalanche of stoner riffs. The sound is ridiculously good and devastating! “Satanica” has a full rocking Motörhead vibe happening with viscous riffing and shredding leads. The amps are oozing with fuzz with all of these songs. “Ain’t Got No Frowns On Me” is a distorted steam roller with a twist of punk aggression. The ear shredding vocals are on point and the head banging riffs are-a-plenty. The fifth and final track on the initial Apocalypse EP is the title track, “Apocalypse”. The song has a marching buidup initially but dishes out more and more slabs of fuzzy and monstrous rhythms. Otu is the real deal! If there’s one thing that I tend to be judgmental for, it’s extreme music. Being involved in grindcore and extreme metal music, I am very picky in what I listen to, especially in that genre. This Apocalypse EP is an absolute blast! Otu has masterfully crafted a mega-heavy mastodon of an EP. The ending riffing to “Apocalypse” will most certainly rip your head off. Brutal is an understatement, these tones will melt the paint off the walls.

The song “Aftermath” begins part two of this series. It’s just over a minute long and features some ultra dense guitar droning that meanders and then, it blasts right into “Everything You Say To Me”. This grinding hardcore anthem is fantastic! Distorted bass, fuzz drenched guitars with pick slides even, and a pounding menace with static vocals. The third track “Cemetery, Pt.1” is an overflow of harsh and discordant sounds that are doused in heavy doom and sludge. Otu has done a great job with the separation of the faster and more abrasive songs with the slower, bulldozing, and doomier tracks. “Sick” is a fuzzed out rocker with a punishing metal groove. It has a southern swampy sludge vibe, akin to Eye Hate God and Acid Bath. The final track to close out this ferocious chapter in Apocalypse Aftermath is called “Cemetery, Pt.2”. Similar to “Cemetery, Pt.1”, the song is a massively dense and heavy track of lumbering doom. Imagine the heaviest components from Electric Wizard, Sleep, and Sunn O. The complete onslaught of mammoth riffing and seething vocals will totally melt your face off. This one is longer than Pt.1 and commences with a heavy beating of continuous doom repetition.

Being a big Kaiser fan, I always loved Otu’s vocal range and power. Now that I’m listening to his solo projects, I have a greater appreciation and respect for what he is capable of doing musically. His great reach into any style of heavy music is impressive but his sheer execution of this excellent Apocalypse/ Apocalypse Aftermath (Double EP) has sold me on his talents and authenticity. For now on, anything that Otu Suurmunne is involved with, I will feel compelled to look into it. He is an amazing talent that is a gold mine for heavy riffs, great songwriting, varied vocal range, and some of the most kick ass music created today.