BESRA

Besra biography
Founded in 2011, Besra are an atmospheric sludge metal band from Turku, Finland. Besra are the vision of former Callisto guitarist Johannes Nygård, who later recruited fellow guitarist Ville Kujansuu, vocalist/keyboardist Hannes Hietarinta, bassist Pekko Seppälä and drummer Ville Kaisla (formerly of melodic death metal band Watch Me Fall). The quintet's brand of monolithic and occasionally experimental post-metal bears sonic resemblance to Cult of Luna, Isis, Burst and the Ocean.

After an introductory split with like-minded Finnish band Atlases, Besra released their debut album, Anhedonia, through Temple of Torturous in 2018. The album was self-described as a "collection of stories" detailing band members' "experiences with loneliness, emotional abandonment and substance abuse." Besra's sophomore album, Transitions, arrived via Suicide Records in 2023 and was produced by Cult of Luna's Magnus Lindberg. Inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the LP "confront[s] the complexities of human behavior and the tumultuous landscapes we create - both in our social behavior and to the world around us." Additional guitarist, vocalist and keyboardist Mika Mäkilaakso joined the lineup in the wake of Transitions' release.