From Bandcamp, "ALASE is an Atmospheric Progressive Metal/Rock band from Finland. Their music is a melting pot of various genres, but the main focus is on the melody and atmosphere. There are a lot of influences outside metal music as well." The album has nine songs, and "Understanding the Waves" is the first. The opening tones are mellow and soft, but segue to a harder sound with a darker bottom. There isn't a lot of connection between the vocals and the music, and I am wondering if that is intentional. "Clear Sky is Not a Curse" is a slower and more atmospheric offering, and shorter as well. Clean leads hang above the weighted mid-section, and almost cry out. The harmonized vocals are nice, but so far, I am not making a lot of connection with the music.

"Fate's Intervention" is rough out of the gates, with harsh vocals and a heaviness that hangs in the air, much like KATATONIA. The clean vocals are overly lamenting, however, and there is again that disconnect with the music. "Unburden" is a little better in terms of the congruency, but there is still a fairly wide chasm, and through four songs now, the album fails to excite me. Atmospheric music can be very exciting if it is approached in a certain manner. They do manage some dexterous meter shifts, however. "Life Ahead" is on the mark. This pensive song has some compatible parts. Let the sounds slowly develop, and it will envelope you with its charms. "The Source" begins with chunky bass notes and some atmospheric leads. The combination of the heavy music and ethereal vocals works quite well. "Out of Place" features darker and more dangerous tones. From there, however, some of the direction is questionable. It makes sense at time but it a bit head scratching at others. "Feeling Free" is another short, pensive song, where the melody stays consistent. If the album had more of these type of songs, I believe I would favor it more.

"Ajan kysymys" closes the album, with a heavier hand in the music. It translates to "a matter of time" in English. The bass guitars meld nicely with the leads, and the ethereal vocals do a nice job of putting it all together. This might be the most cohesive song on the album. Overall, this was a good album that could have been better. The quintet did a nice job with the Atmospheric elements as well as some of the Progressive ones. The varied vocal style contributed to some diversity on the album as well. Where they faltered a bit was the disconnect in key between the vocals and the music. I can't help think that this was intentional, but more congruency between the two would have made for a more melodic listening experience.