Review Summary: Unleashing the fires of the North
Bearing the crest of the North, Finnish trio Desolate Shrine have been forging some of the best death metal to come out of the icy lands in recent years. Not for being particularly audacious or innovative, but for its distinctive atmosphere that distances it from the chainsaw horde which proliferates in that part of the globe since
Left Hand Path. Let's be clear though, the HM-2 sound is an integral part of the band's aesthetic, yet it takes on a personality of its own when absorbed into the surrounding ambiance. Desolate Shrine's identity results from the combination of these two elements. Doom and blackened textures are also part of the puzzle, creating an output that rarely falls into straightforward death metal waters. There's a strong bond between the four previous albums, which, except for the leap between the debut,
Tenebrous Towers, and
The Sanctum Of Human Darkness, sail in a straight line, never straying from the original route. Multi-instrumentalist Lauri Laaksonen (aka LL) is the man at the helm and the creative force pushing the ship forward.
As expected, Desolate Shrine's new chapter,
Fires of the Dying World, keeps sailing in the same waters, but now with a slightly cleaner, more polished approach. A less reverberant atmosphere that lends a crystalline tone to the music. Despite being a mere technicality, it's probably the only contrasting aspect, since, musically,
Fires of the Dying World is remarkably consistent with previous releases. The Nordic-accented death doom formula remains unchanged. Doom soundscapes of songs like 'My Undivided Blood' flirt with epic segments and relentless blast beats with ease, complementing each other. The Homeric 'Cast to Walk the Star of Sorrow' and 'The Dying World' are prime examples of such balanced diversity, with the former being one of the best songs the trio have ever recorded. The Exodus-esque thrash riff on 'Echoes in the Halls of Vanity' and the grind onslaught in 'The Dying World' explore peripheral genres that, while not exactly new to the band's recipe, add an element of surprise, enriching the songwriting. There are layers to Lauri Laaksonen's music, an intrinsic flexibility, further enhanced by the symbiotic duet of Roni Sahari (aka RS) and Markus Tuonenjoki (aka MT) who lend some of the fiercest vocals the genre has to offer. A lethal combo, as relevant to the band's DNA as Lauri's composition. Yet despite this multi-layered design, the music remains somewhat monochromatic, roaming exclusively in shades of gray, rarely displaying fresh nuances. While this one-dimensionality is somehow part of Desolate Shrine's personality and charm, it occasionally pushes the music into flat territory which some listeners may find drab and unchallenging. I won't go so far as to say the band is an acquired taste, since it's not overly hermetic or eccentric, but it does take the right frame of mind to sync up with their death doom formula. What would life be without its small challenges, right?
In their fifth chapter, the Finnish trio once again unleash the fires of the North in shades of gray. Death metal soundscapes, devoid of color and light, lifeless, emerge like trumpets of the apocalypse. Symbols of a dying world. And while we've already experienced these monochromatic laments, they remain relevant, for they echo one of the most charismatic roars coming from the land of a thousand lakes.
