ALBUM REVIEW: Air Not Meant For Us – Fires In The Distance

Whilst melodic death metal is typically associated with the cold tundras of Scandinavia, Connecticut’s FIRES IN THE DISTANCE serve a healthy reminder that the melancholic-soaked metal is a universal affair. Having raised eyebrows with 2020’s debut, Echoes From Deep November, the band are back with their sophomore outing Air Not Meant For Us. And it’s one of the most alluring and beautiful metal albums you will all year.

Using their debut as a blueprint, Air Not Meant For Us sees FIRES IN THE DISTANCE refine and tweak their musical formula to create something that is bigger and better in every way imaginable. Album opener Harbingers sets the scene wonderfully. A sprawling behemoth of a track clocking in at just shy of 11 minutes, the band unfold slowly as a suffocating atmosphere led by the hammering drums of Jordan Rippe which pound away as crushing riffs and delicate lead work intertwine wonderfully with Grimaldi‘s vocals. It all builds and builds to a beautiful tranquil atmosphere where the band’s potency for delicious harmonies really shines. As far a snapshot of the band’s soundscape goes, it doesn’t get much better than this.

But it does. Across its six sprawling tracks, FIRES IN THE DISTANCE present a masterclass of melodic death metal. From the awe-inspiring and technically proficient solo work found in Crumbling Pillars Of A Tranquil Mind that intertwines with sombre keys and Kristian Grimaldi‘s pained growls to the most emotional effect, to the simply stunning instrumental epic Adrift, Beneath The Listless Waves, the band rarely put a foot wrong on their sophomore outing.

What is more impressive is the band’s ability to ensnare and hold your attention over the record’s near hour-long runtime. With the shortest song (Adrift, Beneath The Listless Waves) hitting the six-minute mark, those with short-attention spans might despair at the tracks’ lengthy runtimes, but FIRES IN THE DISTANCE use this to their advantage, creating colossal epics with surprises lying in wait at every turn. Wisdom Of The Falling Leaves leaves plenty of room for Yegor Savonin‘s orchestration to really shimmer in angelic beauty; Psalm Of The Merciless boasts some of the best soloing on the entire record (which is even more impressive given the consistent quality throughout the entire album); and album closer Idiopathic Despair encapsulates everything we’ve heard prior into one grandiose finale that ends the album on the highest possible calibre.

Musically complex, intoxicating and emotively raw, Air Not Meant For Us is a phenomenal follow-up to 2020’s debut and helps FIRES IN THE DISTANCE stand as one of the finest melodic death metal bands in 2023. This is an album that will capture your heart and take you on a journey where a multitude of emotions are experienced. And upon its closure, you’ll be striving to hear it all again. As things stand, this is the benchmark for melodeath in 2023.

Rating: 10/10

Air Not Meant For Us is out now via Prosthetic Records.

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