Melodic Death Metal

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    Mors Principium Est - Darkness Invisible (2025)

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    There is normal Melodic Death Metal, and then there is Finnish Melodic Death Metal, while being the same genre, there is just a certain signature style to the latter. Mors Principium Est is one of the most underrated Finnish Melodic Death Metal bands from the scene, having been putting out excellent releases since 2000, this band seems to fall under the radar to some of its most popular counterparts like Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum, and early Amorphis. With “Darkness Invisible”, the band throws in some additional orchestral arrangements around their very cohesive and precise sound.

    Opening with the high-octane “Of Death”, we are treated to a blistering pace filled with dramatic arrangements and intricate guitar melodies and leads. Ville Viljanen continued the band’s legacy by bringing back some of its original members Jarkko Kokko and Jori Haukio for the previous release of re-recording of old songs., but it is not until this studio album that we can hear the band’s original ferocity and technically, paired with some extra maturity and musical proficiency gained over the years, as songs like "Venerator", “Monuments” and “Beyond the Horizon” showcase.

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    Wolfheart - Draconian Darkness II (2025)

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    The masters of Finnish Melodic Death Metal melancholy return with a short but sweet EP, as a continuation to their 2024 “Draconian Darkness” full-length. In this EP, Wolfheart showcases two new tracks, a live song, an acoustic track, and a very powerful orchestral track. Further consolidating the band’s status, this EP showcases the versatility of their sound, both live and in different lights.

    Opening with the powerful “Carnivore”, the band picks up where they left off last year, and deliver a crafty melodic onslaught filled with intricate riffs and engaging drumming. The song while oozing melancholy, it also delivers a good heft thanks to its growls and distorted guitars. One interesting thing is that this and “Forefathers” focus a bit more on atmospheric arrangements with a dramatic orchestral edge, that expands the band’s style and gives it more grandeur.

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    Before the Dawn - Cold Flare Eternal (2025)

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    Being huge fans of Melodic Death Metal, we have always loved Finland’s Before the Dawn and their earlier work with Eikind handling the bass and clean vocals. There was just something highly melancholic about his vocals, alongside Tuomas Saukkonen’s melodic guitars and drums that made that era magical. Having returned in 2021 with Paavo Laapotti on lead vocals, it took us a while to fully get into the band’s different, not new, sound, and with “Cold Flare Eternal”, we are finally ready to let go and really enjoy what they are putting out this time around.

    Opening with the piercing “Fatal Design”, we get the traditional Before the Dawn melodic riffing onslaughts alongside crafty drumming. The band’s staple, and highly melancholic, sound quickly comes into central attention as Paavo Laapotti’s clean vocals masterfully combine with the growls. Giving us some vibes of “Deathstar Rising” and “Soundscape of Silence”, we are quickly hooked with the catchiness of “As, Above, So Below”, “Mercury Blood”, and “Stellar Effect”. Thanks to some powerful guitar leads from Juho Räihä, the band is firing on all cylinders and delivering extreme melancholy and catchiness.

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    Shadecrown - 0 (2025)

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    Since it seems to be a requirement in Finland to play in a Metal band, there are countless excellent bands in that country. While we all know the big names, it is always interesting to find outfits like Shadecrown, which have a killer and very refined sound and yet they are not as big as others. With “0”, the band delivers over 44 minutes of highly melancholic, expertly crafted Melodic Death/Doom Metal, similar to outfits like Before the Dawn, Swallow the Sun, Insomnium, Hanging Garden, but with their own particular style.

    Opening with the high-octane “The Art of Grieving”, the band sets a very melancholic and melodic mood with crafty riffs, engaging atmospherics and a solid blend of weeping lead guitars alongside your traditional growls. There are definitely some similarities to bands like Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum, but the band managed to carve out their own signature style while unleashing excellent head-banging inducing pieces like “In A State of Agony”, “Fragile Chapters” and “Gone”.

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    Allegaeon - The Ossuary Lens (2025)

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    Continuing their crushing onslaught to the top levels of Technical/Melodic Death Metal, today we have Allegaeon and their latest opus “The Ossuary Lens”. Featuring ten tracks and nearly 45 minutes of blistering music, this release further refines the band’s high-octane sound, while infusing some new elements and marks the return of their original vocalist Ezra Haynes. With a focus on creating engaging songs and delivering maximum brutality, the band manages to unleash their finest release to date.

    After the atmospheric “Refraction”, the band instantly means business with the punishing “Chaos Theory”. This track sets a very hectic pace thanks to its insane riffing and crafty drumming. The band has never focused on creating complex tracks just for the sake of it, like others in the genre, but rather deliver a perfectly balanced mixture of musicianship, melody and brutality, as “Driftwood”, “Dies Irae” and “The Swarm” showcase.

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    Arch Enemy - Blood Dynasty (2025)

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    As one of the most eagerly awaited releases of 2025, today we have Arch Enemy and their latest opus “Blood Dynasty”. With a long storied career, the stakes are always high when big bands release new albums, and luckily for all, this release delivers in every single aspect. Riding their explosive and highly melodic sound, Alissa White-Gluz and company deliver eleven tracks and over 44 minutes of ravaging music.

    Opening with the ripping “Dream Stealer”, we are treated to a prime Arch Enemy song with blistering guitar work, Alissa’s growls, and tons of catchiness. The band’s musicianship can never be questioned, and as tracks like “Illuminate the Path”, “March of Miscreants”, and “A Million Suns

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    The Halo Effect - March of the Unheard (2025)

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    Unleashing an earlier contender for album of the year, The Halo Effect returns with the excellent “March of the Unheard”. Continuing their In Flames-meets-Dark Tranquillity explorations of the Gothenburg Melodic Death Metal sound, the band delivers twelve tracks and over 42-minutes of superbly catchy and engaging music with a certain softer tone to keep things more mellow and accessible.

    Opening with the bombastic “Conspire to Deceive”, we get the signature riffing of Niclas Engelin and Jesper Strömblad alongside Mikael Stanne’s snarls in a very catchy and engaging package. As the album progresses with “Detonate”, “Our Channel to the Darkness”, and “Cruel Perception”, the band showcases their signature sound while inserting some versatility with different tempos, dramatic guitar leads and an overall mastery of melody and pace.

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    Wolfheart - Draconian Darkness (2024)

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    Tuomas Saukkonen continues to be one of the most busy persons in Metal, dropping a new Wolfheart release in 2024. With “Draconian Darkness”, the band continues its illustrious career delivering nine tracks and over 40-minutes of catchy and engaging Melodic Death Metal. Featuring the band’s signature sound plus a few tweaks, this release perfectly balances aggression with melody, creating epic headbanging moments in its wake.

    Opening with “Ancient Cold”, we get the band’s signature melodic riffing alongside subtle atmospheric arrangements, creating a very immersive atmosphere. One particular tweak is the use of more clean vocals, compared to their previous release, with both Lauri Silvonen and Vagelis Karzis contributing to this. As the band pummels through “Evenfall”, “Burning Sky”, and “Death Leads the Way”, the band further explores this more balanced approach with a nice addition of some orchestral arrangements, courtesy of Saku Moilanen, further enriching the experience.

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    Dark Tranquillity - Endtime Signals (2024)

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    As one of our favorite bands of all time, Dark Tranquillity has always consistently delivered high quality releases and “Endtime Signals” is not the exception. After shedding a few members since their 2020 release, the band returns with fourteen tracks of signature DT music, filled with dynamic guitars, immersive keyboards and Mikael Stanne’s characteristic snarl. There are definitely some minor noticeable adjustments as now Martin Brändström and Johan Reinholdz have taken over the songwriting from departed drummer Anders Jivarp.

    Opening with “Shivers and Voids”, we get the traditional guitar driven DT music that we all love, full of highly melodic passages and subtle keyboards to keep things smooth and enjoyable. On “Unforgivable” we have a more dynamic style of guitar leads that have a different but still well crafted and blistering style. Johan Reinholdz is a good guitarist, but certainly not at the level of Christopher Amott, who did the leads on 2020 “Moment”.

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    Robse - Harlekin & Krieger (2024)

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    Unleashing nearly 45 minutes of lively Melodic Death Metal, today we have Germany’s Robse and their debut release “Harlekin & Krieger”. With an old-school European Melodic DM style, this outfit delivers eleven tracks of high-octane moments filled with crafty melodic onslaughts and engaging vocals. If you are a fan of bands like Crematory, Dawn of Disease, and Night in Gales, this is another outfit that will satisfy your headbanging cravings.

    After a cinematic intro, the release kicks into full gear with the crafty album title track. Paired with engaging melodic riffs, intense drumming and Robert-Martin Dahn’s harsh vocals, this track sets a very lively and engaging tone. Short, catchy, and full of melody, songs like “Hey Sturm”, “Amenthes”, and our favorite “Aus dem Gleichgewicht”, create a very seamless and enjoyable experience as the album plays. We particularly enjoy the additional elements thrown into the mix like subtle keyboards, different vocal styles, and engaging tempo changes.

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