TUOKSU HOLOPAINEN (7/10)

Coming obviously straight out of Finland, "Season Of Withering" is the second studio effort of the Helsinkians DEAD END FINLAND, following up their debut release "Stain of Disgrace".

The album delivers nothing special or new. The material is actually your typically-Finnish Melodic Death Metal, enhanced with some keyboards and industrial elements. The Amorphis influence can be heard clearly on tracks like "Zero Hour" and "Hypocrite Declaim" that happen to be the highlights of this album.

Overall, the songwriting is pretty solid, the album flows smoothly and the songs are pretty catchy. Nevertheless, it lacks a bit of originality and fresh energy. The band's play is top-notch especially the guitar, as well as the decent vocals performance by Mikko Virtanen. The melodies are shapely and there's a vigorous modern industrial feeling to this album as a whole.

DEAD END FINLAND deliver an enjoyable Melodic Death Metal like your typical Finns. The music does have that necessary punch to it yet it's shall be greater once they find their own distinguished direction.

THE ISLANDER (9/10)

DEAD END FINLAND hails from Helsinki. The follow-up of their self-released debut album "Stain of Disgrace" is powerful, well rounded and quite diverse release - "Season Of Withering".

It opens with a title track, a mix of industrial metal expanded by amazing riffs. The vocals of Mikko Virtanen are equally raw and incredibly melodic as the track moves from the start, getting more harmonic, and accelerating along the sounds that take high peak during the chorus.  The fallowing track "An Unfair Order" opens similar to previous track, but it`s more symphonic, and bit slower than its predecessor, but equally amazing. "Paranoia" comes as bit softer, more symphonic, less death metal track, though there are some growling vocals, and some power within it may not be the greatest track, but sure is one of the catchiest ones. "Zero Hour" is woven of industrial and death metal with nice addition of melodic strings.

"Season of Whithering" is multi layered album, and it would take forever to reveal everything that hides within. It`s a bit of everything - heavy, melodic, symphonic and all those things in between. It`s not as aggressive as one would expect it to be, but it`s more energetic, and moving.  The best one of the tracks is "Silent Passage" where they managed to get all things incorporated with prevailing growling vocals. The album closes with "Dreamlike Silence" more orchestral, and symphonically driven track than the others. Perfect way to close an amazing album.

If you`re expecting pure Melodic Death Metal album, that`s one of the things you`re certanly not getting with this release of DEAD END FINLAND. "Season of Withering" is the finest bland of many Metal genres, and it`s quite hard to put it in one little labeled box. It`s a kaleidoscope of sounds and different energies. Quite diverse album, which offers many great tracks with great riffs, amazing drum work and haunting bass, underlined with amazing orchestrations and keyboards.

Some fans of Melodic Death Metal might not find it interesting, but Symphonic Metal fans should check this release out. You might get surprised, and end liking it, a lot.