Unmistakable is the sound of 'Gothenmetal' - the immortalized brand of Melodic Death Metal borne of the Swedish greats in the 90's and early 2000's, that is still pummeling on strong as one of metal's biggest genres, so much so that bands from all around the globe have adopted the sound into their sonic abattoir. The young DEADEND IN VENICE from Germany are no exception; they take the traditional sounds reminiscent of IN FLAMES, SOILWORK and ARCH ENEMY and blend it with female vocals to create a unique mix of Melodic Death Metal and Metalcore.

A haunting acoustic intro track is what begins this album, taking point to showcase Annabell's beautiful voice, leading straight into the fast, heavy, melodic and unmistakably Swedish-sounding Black Baccara, with a head-pounding, groove-ridden chorus riff that sets an excellent mood. "An Alien In Disguise" is full of IN FLAMES-esque melodies and chord progressions; my only complaint is that the band's growler, Christian Litzba, have more of a presence on this song, for his voice is nowhere short of booming. The soft female vocals feel a tad lost in this piece; that may just be a case of mixing. "The Overview" is unfortunately one of the weaker tracks on the album; the riffage is there, the screams are top notch, but the female vocals come across as slightly irritating, especially in the lower ranges, which sound forced. Aside from this, the song redeems itself in the choruses. Luckily, "A Glow In The Dark" emerges as one of the best tracks on the album, with an excellent, classically-core, syncopated gallop riff, with fast and brutal riffage throughout. "Call From The North" takes an interesting turn towards Power Metal, oozing fantastical motifs during the intro and verse. Annabell's voice is perfectly suited to this song, since the lack of brutal riffs does not this time detract from her voice. "Ocean Of Regret" is another all-around-solid, Melodic Death song, with an extremely catchy chorus melody, and beautiful vocal runs; what does not do the song justice, are stilted "la la la" parts, that seem unnecessary and completely detract from the essence of this brand of Metal music. "Devolution Of The Crown" is another big improvement over previously heard tracks, with an incredibly strong IN FLAMES vibe; the band's self-made mixing shines through, and every instrument shines through and pronounces shotgun-blast punches of guitar riffs. This heaviness is followed through in "Changing Directions" that is chock-full of the Scandinavian melodies we know and love, with a feel closer to that of energetic Metalcore. "Nothing's Left In Long-Closed Eyes" happens to be my favorite track on the album, most notably for its versatility and dynamics; no part of the song sounds the same, and combines many different sounds from many different genres and bands; what is created is, quite simply, epic. "In Dawnless Days" is a great closing track for the album transitioning between powerful double-kick runs and neck-snapping syncopated riff batteries, and another infectious chorus.

DEADEND IN VENICE without a doubt have the potential to become a breakthrough Melodic Death Metal band; "A View From Above" is an impressive release for a band still treading lightly in the metal industry. Essentially, my only complaints about the album are where the band chose to include female vocal melodies, and how they were sung; this by no means diminishes her vocal abilities, albeit. Some bands, like AMARANTHE, pull it off flawless, but the sharp difference in styles can unfortunately create somewhat of a rough, grating edge. Luckily, the album has some extremely strong tracks to pull it through.