ALBUM REVIEW: Desolate Realm – Desolate Realm
Finland has certainly produced its fair share of excellence across the metal spectrum and doomsters DESOLATE REALM definitely seek to continue in that proud tradition. Their first EP, Unleash The Storm, came out in early 2020 and showed a band rough around the edges but with a definite musical affinity for epic doom, classic heavy metal and some real promise for the future.
Having had a year to work on their debut album now, the band are about to independently release their self-titled album. Desolate Realm definitely picks up where its predecessor left off with its epic scope and aiming for doomy greatness. Eschewing gloomier pastures, they instead toss in a large dose of soaring heavy metal, including galloping riffs and air-raid siren wails.
Opener Spire puts those heavy metal battle cries front and centre with vocalist Matias Nastolin doing his best Bruce Dickinson impression before shifting into a much lower baritone croon. It’s got that gleeful, ever so slightly cheesy gallop to it for the first moments but is much closer to CANDLEMASS or SOLITUDE AETURNUS than IRON MAIDEN. These higher wails do make the odd appearance throughout the album, seemingly as an accent and for effect rather than any core part of their sound.
Following track Beneath The Surface is a perfectly serviceable doom track, with its almost bluesy vocals and alternately chugging and galloping riffs. The Circle, likewise, is a solid track and drummer Olli Törrönen slides in some great little fills between the guitar work. Reckoning goes much more into doomy pastures, with a gloomy, almost PARADISE LOST at their gothiest, midsection that has some lush guitar melodies and layered vocals as it moves into its closing moments.
What DESOLATE REALM do well is balancing the seemingly at odds elements of heavy metal and epic doom, leaning much more into faster tempos for the most part, but arguably it’s when they drop the pace that they’re at their best. Reckoning, along with closer Tormented Souls, both do this, with the latter folding in some slightly proggier tendencies alongside its chugging riffs and mournful solos. It’s certainly one of the strongest songs on here, and also the longest at nearly nine minutes, but doesn’t feel its runtime. That’s testament to their ability to work in enough ideas to keep things moving, but unfortunately this isn’t something they do consistently.
That’s not to say Desolate Realm as an album is inconsistent; more that the promise of their EP isn’t always delivered on. Cuts like the aforementioned Tormented Souls, with its ever so slightly proggy slant, are more interesting than the more straight ahead CANDLEMASS worship of earlier tracks like Crypt or The Chosen, despite neither being bad songs. The issue isn’t quality – every song on here is at worst decent.
What’s lacking is something identifiable as DESOLATE REALM themselves or more memorable hooks. On a doom album this might be heresy but given their folding in of classic heavy metal, it’s something entirely within their realm. As it stands, this is a good – if slightly underwhelming – debut from the band and it’ll be interesting to see if they can build on this for album number two.
Rating: 6/10
Desolate Realm is set for release on April 23rd via self-release.
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