DEPRESSED MODE was established in 2005 by composer Otto Salonen. They signed a contract with Firebox Records for two albums in 2006. The second album "...For Death" released in 2009, was a success, and a step towards more Symphonic Death/Doom Metal. Otto Salonen begun composing DM's third album in January 2020. The lineup for the new album consists of Otto Salonen, Teemu Heinola, Henri Hakala and Iiro Aittokoski. Veronica Bordacchi took over the female vocals for the third album. The album contains nine tracks.

"Death Walks Among Us" opens the album. Orchestration begins along with a slow electronic hum. The song is building towards something. The main riff drops like a bomb with machine gun drumming and harrowing vocals. It walks forward with power and confidence from there. "Endless November" begins with melancholy strings and a slow, lumbering riff. November is one of those transitional months where, if you live in Northeast USA can be cold and dark, and the sentiment that this can drag on endlessly is a sore prospect. Suddenly, it takes a sharp right turn with a faster riff and a combination of clean female and harsh male vocals. The doleful sound then returns in a death lock with the faster sound.

"Dissociation of the Extinguished Mind" opens with a heavy plate of thick guitars and symphonic elements, with harrowing tones dialed up. Deep and deathly harsh vocals come in from there. It picks up in tempo just before the half-way mark, with a gritty riff. It slows again, marking the return of pestilence which begins to spread. It ends on solemn piano notes. "As the Light Dims" is a depressing opus that begins with solemn piano notes and cello...if there is a better medium for this type of sound I am all ears. Backing vocals support a weighted riff. They call to you like a voice from the grave. It begins a slow march after the half-way mark with adjoining symphonic elements. The march ends when they find their victim already dead. "Parasites of Mind" begins with fat brass notes amidst tentative string elements, rolling to a crushing sound that will obliterate all in its path. The pace slows to deep harsh vocals before rising once again. Like waking a sleeping giant, you are going to have to put up with a few attempts to fully rise.

"Kaamos (Land of Winter)" opens with a slow grind of guitars and cavernous vocals. A ray of hope comes in but it is soon dashed by the terrifying sound. The grind will slowly wear you down to nothing. "Serpents" begins with lively strings that are supported by a heavy riff that eventually breathes a bit. It waxes and wanes from there, at times totally depressing while other times there is a stay of execution. "Eternal Darkness" opens with the filthy sound in your face, and there is no mistaking the reflection of utter blackness in the mirror. Clean female vocals come in but the feeling of purgatory cannot be shaken. "Aeternus" closes the album; a 12-minute opus. A deep depression leads off with piano notes and backing ambiance. As all of your loved ones die, you are left to ponder the meaning of life, to which there are no answers.

Death Metal? Doom Metal? Symphonic Metal? Yes, all of the above please. Finnish Metal is nothing to joke around about. These guys are masters at creating complicated soundscapes that are also easily digested. One factor that is present throughout is the frightening and harrowing elements. Picture this...you are in church enjoying choir of angelic voices, when they suddenly die and are reborn as the undead. A massage scramble ensues to exit the building, as their outstretched fingers reach you and begin to remove pieces of your flesh. The scene is both poetic and horrifying, just like the album. Death is just the beginning, as the saying goes.