Kalmah is a band from Pudasjärvi, Finland. They are influenced by a high velocity brand of European Melodic Death Metal similar to that of metal bands like At The Gates and Dark Tranquillity. The quintet formed in the autumn of 1999 following the demise of its first incarnation, Ancestor. In less than a year after its birth, Kalmah was signed by Spikefarm Records, a division of the Finnish label Spinefarm. In the fall of 2000, the band recorded its debut album for the label at Tico-Tico studios, a favourite of fellow countrymen Sentenced and Impaled Nazarene. The result, Swamplord, is an aggressive, twin guitar solo-based album whose atmosphere is often heightened by ethereal keyboards. Century Media Records picked up Swamplord for North American distribution, and the record was released in 2001.