Estonian band Pale Alison are on a mission to demonstrate the diversity of metal and dispel conceptions that the genre has to be aggressive with a spellbinding sound that they describe as “dark and melancholic.”
The band started around five years ago when vocalists Evelina Koop (clean vocals) and Jelizaveta Anderdanova (clean and extreme vocals), from the small town of Narva, met during pop-jazz vocal lessons at music school. The duo decided to write a song together and invited some of their musician friends to help them record it. The one-time experiment quickly grew into something bigger, and they were swiftly invited to perform at gigs, including the prominent Estonian festival Station Narva.
Having initially planned to form a duo called Pale Alison, named after a northern flower, they eventually evolved into a full band. And they completed the lineup with Arseniy Alekseyev (guitar), Nerman Klimberg (bass) and Andres Naruson (drums).
On the sound they’ve crafted since, Evelina told us: “We want to show that metal can be so much more than just aggression – it can be sensitive, intelligent, sincere. Our sound is a mix of heavy progressive riffs, explosive breakdowns, and atmospheric synth layers, all held together by contrasting vocals, the clean and the extreme, like opposites of each other, like light and shadow, order and chaos.
“We also aim for our music to be rich and textured, always offering something to hold onto – never giving the listener a chance to get bored. That’s why we love experimenting with rhythmic structures, odd time signatures, and alternate tunings.”
Our latest taste of this is Flashback, which was released earlier this month. It opens up with light guitars and echoey synths supporting Evelina’s delicate vocals. Light drums and bass join in as dual vocals build the atmosphere. Elizaveta’s intense screams suddenly take over and usher in powerful guitars, feeding into a huge chorus led by Evelina’s engaging vocals answered by screamed retorts. The chorus ends with a vicious scream that continues with stabbing guitars over wild synths, which drops into another massive chorus. It again ends with vicious vocals and the track concludes with lively guitars.
On the track, Evelina told us: “The response to Flashback has been intense – mainly because of how contrasting the track is. It starts out with a moody R&B-inspired atmosphere, then suddenly explodes into heavy breakdowns with aggressive guitars and gut-wrenching extreme vocals. A lot of people called it a bold move, and the transitions really took listeners by surprise.
“The element of unexpectedness is something we deliberately build into our music. Flashback is deeply personal for me – it tells a full emotional story, from disappointment and crumbling expectations to anger and pure emotional release. The instrumental flow mirrors that journey perfectly. For anyone who hasn’t heard it yet: don’t just treat it like a song – listen to it as a narrative, an emotional arc. A story about emotions that almost everyone has experienced. So if you’re into bands like Novelists, Periphery, or Currents, we think you’ll definitely like it!” Check it out in the stream here:
Flashback is the latest in a series of stellar singles over the last few years, including their excellent three-track single TOCKA, on which we especially love the final track. Then there’s last year’s superb Bipolarity, which features a delicious breakdown with a huge driving riff, and a personal favourite, Summer’s Melody Slows Its Pace. The latter starts slowly but explodes into powerful clean vocals over huge riffs and rolling drums. The pace drops again with dreamy vocals, but picks up again with Evelina’s captivating vocals before a big instrumental section brings the track to an atmospheric conclusion. Check it out in the stream here:
Pale Alison have experimented with many different sounds over the last five years, from pop-rock to post-punk. But, thankfully, bands like Spiritbox and Northlane led them down the path of modern metal and metalcore, and Tesseract influenced their live sound quality and performance technique.
And Evelina added: “For me personally, the band that became a bridge into this genre was Sleep Token. Before discovering them, I was actually quite skeptical about metalcore. That’s why I believe it’s so important to find your guides into certain genres, especially if they seem unfamiliar or ‘not yours’ at first.
“For us, music is a form of therapy. Each of us pours our own experiences, emotions, and inner conflicts into it. We express them through lyrics and riffs – melodies are born from personal experiences, joy, pain, the need to let something go or to say something to someone. It’s almost a ritual – confronting yourself, living through those feelings, releasing them and rethinking. real-life situations, reflections on the world, internal struggles, growing up, and the ongoing dialogue between ourselves and everything around us.”
We’ve met a handful of Estonian bands in our time, and the band tell us their local scene is making great traction. “We’ve actually been talking a lot lately about how much the heavy music scene in Estonia has grown,” Evelina told us. “An organization called Heavy Music Estonia was formed relatively recently, and they’ve already done incredible work in lifting the entire scene to a new level. They actively support local bands and help create opportunities for us to be heard both locally and internationally.
“One of the biggest music festivals, Tallinn Music Week, was held recently – and we were part of it too. Estonian bands performed on the metal stage in front of label representatives, PR agencies, and booking managers from across Europe. It’s an amazing opportunity for exposure! Right now, the heavy music community in Estonia feels more like a family than ever – we support and inspire each other. And we’re confident that Estonian bands will be making more and more waves on the global stage.”
We’re hooked on the sound of Pale Alison, and there’s plenty more to come from this exciting band, who plan to release a series of singles and music videos ahead of releasing an EP. They also have a busy summer of shows, including gigs abroad, and they’re working with new creative partners to help them grow.
As Evelina explains: “2025 for us is a new chapter in the band’s story. A lot has been rethought, our creative approach has changed – and even though we had to let go of some familiar things, right now we feel a sense of clarity like never before. We know where we’re heading and who we’re creating music for. So definitely stay connected -this is just the beginning!”
You can follow Pale Alison on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and check out their music on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music, Soundcloud and YouTube.
Listen to Pale Alison and more new music on our Spotify playlists GigRadar Core and GigRadar Metal
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