Symphonic/power metal act EXISTENCE DEPRAVED released their debut EP "Hectivity" in 2019. Formed in 2018, the Finnish fourpiece unveiled their next single "Unwalked Path" in 2020, the first track to come from their upcoming album "Dissonant Image". Fast forward to early 2022, EXISTENCE DEPRAVED have now released a further four tracks to be featured on their new album. "Dissonant Image" was released on April 29^th, 2022, via Art Gates Records.

The first track on "Dissonant Image" is "Endless Loop". From the first note, you are drawn in with the powerful and impactful guitar riff right from the get-go. As the song goes on, it evolves as a typical song of this genre should. An anthemic style chorus tops off the track, with beautiful instrumentals helping to set the scene for what's to come on the album. "To Live Without Fear" starts off well with a thumping guitar riff, which is sure to get you moving! As the track goes on, there doesn't seem to be much progression and it feels stagnant, as a result. The song could easily have been shortened down into 3 minutes and it wouldn't feel any different.

Next up is "Unwalked Path", which starts off on a similar note to the last. However, one thing that pleasantly differentiates this song to others is the mix of vocal styles from Toni Tieaho and Matti Auerkallio. It is genuinely a surprise to hear EXISTENCE DEPRAVED mix things up vocally and it certainly pays off. "Freezing Wind" begins with an electrifying opening guitar riff, before leaping in with more guitar; ultimately giving making the track feel fuller. Toni Tieaho's are haunting in parts of this song, which piques your interest. Even though they appear to change things up musically, the chorus doesn't seem as anthemic as others; therefore, getting lost in the crowd as a result. "Solitary Star" contains a beautiful riff at the beginning of the track, before leaping right in with the typical power metal instrumentals that EXISTENCE DEPRAVED are recognised for.

"Mental Hunt" is slightly different as it starts off with a hard-hitting power metal riff right away. "Blind Theories" is similar in style, but it evolves to become a slower song in comparison. The guitar riffs throughout are addictive, helping to keep you focused on what you are listening to. It is also great how EXISTENCE DEPRAVED keep altering the riffs to make things more interesting throughout. This is one of the best choruses on the whole album, for sure! "Mindcrusher" is the second to last track. This song begins on a lighter note, with a keyboard melody doing the talking. However, you are then treated to a killer power metal riff, which will stand the test of time. The last song on the album is "The Outsider", which begins with a soft guitar riff, before going straight in with some powerful instrumentalisation yet again. However, like the majority of songs on this release, it doesn't have that much lasting power.

To summarise, EXISTENCE DEPRAVED's "Dissonant Image" isn't necessarily bad, it's just not great. To me, there just doesn't seem like the band have experimented that much with different styles and have just stuck to what they know and love, which isn't a bad thing. I just feel like they need to work on their overall memorability in the future, as a lot of the songs were decent enough but were just very forgettable. Saying that, there is no doubt in my mind that they are a very talented bunch of musicians. I am intrigued to see what they do in the future.