"Thy Dark Serenity" is a very fitting title from the Swedish Metallers WHEN NOTHING REMAINS' sophomore album. The band blends elements of Death / Doom Metal with a Gothic Influence to evoke a grim, dark atmosphere fraught with a sorrowful, melancholic vibe remindful of DRACONIAN whose Johan Ericson marks a notable contribution to this album as well as its predecessor.

Although nothing original is present here, WHEN NOTHING REMAINS, songwriting-wise, showcase a wonderful solidity which is complemented by the flawless musicianship of the band members and a neat production. The outcome is an eight-piece opus that would easily appeal to any fan of the genre.

Along with the powerful, dirge riffs, the album is marked by a heavy use of keyboards melodies and symphonic interludes, as well as a splendid contrast between clean and growled vocals.  "She Died In Autumns Rain" is the backbone of the album, perfectly capturing and displaying all those elements in the most intriguing way possible, although toward the end of this track you may have the impression that you're listening to DARK SANCTUARY or DIE VERBANNTEN KINDER EVAS or some other Darkwave band instead of a Doom Metal band. That is nothing to complain about, though.

This album feels quite long as it might feel weary at some point, due to lack of variation, although the material fairly excellent. However, it's a very promising step from WHEN NOTHING REMAINS, who after all succeeded in delivering a very fine and typically Swedish Death-Doom oeuvre.