DESTINITY is a French Melodic Death Metal quintet from Lyon. Well, that is what they currently play. DESTINITY actually started out as a Black Metal band, before morphing into a Symphonic Black/Death Metal unit. They have been making noise since 1996 and I am almost ashamed to say that the “Ascension” album that I am about to review is the very first music I ever heard of this band. In the 29 years that the band has been active they have managed to release 9 studio albums before this one, so they haven’t just sat on their arses all those years. The first eight were released before the band split up in 2014, only to be resurrected in 2018. Since then, they are playing their brand of Melodic Death Metal, and have been able to release an apparently very well received album in 2021 (“In Continuum”), which is now followed by “Ascension” (release date 11-04-2025).

Do I like what I hear on “Ascension”? Well, yes, I do! The reason for it is rather simple; the music on this album reminds me a lot of for me the best period of IN FLAMES, knowingly the “Whoracle” and “Colony” era. It isn’t that they are copying their peers, but they sure are talking ideas and atmospheric details that make those albums mentioned so timeless and have tried to blend them into current times and feelings. Not only that, they also are able to blend in some Old School Death Metal parts in where they felt they were needed. And as far as I’m concerned it really works. So, not only am I enjoying the kind of music that DESTINITY is playing, I am also digging the atmosphere that it is creating. I want to mention the song “Children Of The Sun”, which has guest vocals by Steva from DEATHLESS LEGACY (Italy). In this song he sounds a bit like RONNIE ROMERO, and I mean that as a heartfelt compliment.

As for the quality of the songs, there is nowt wrong with them at all. I’m not going to tell you that “Ascension” is covering any new territories, or that our French friends of DESTINITY are about the set the Metal world on fire with their way of making music, but I will be shouting out that anyone who loves good Old School and/or Melodic Death Metal needs to give this album a serious try by having a good listen. Like me you might be very pleasantly surprised by what you encounter.