Finland is, for sure, one of the best Metal scenes from the last years. Since the second half of the 90's, a massive quantity of bands from every Metal genre the reader can think of emerges from Finnish lands. Obviously the fact can be traced to commercial success of some of them. From melodic genres to extreme ones, every single genre of Metal on Finland has one good name on it. And FAUSTIAN PACT surely is a very good name, as can be heard on "Outojen Tornien Varjoissa", their first album.

As the songs' titles show clearly, they prefer to make music in the mother language, and for those that know the Finnish Metal history, it's a feature that, in the greater part of times that it is seen, points to a Black Metal band. And that's what they're about, using the traditional elements from Finnish Black Metal (because they're in an Old School Black Metal way), with very good and somber melodies (helped by a wise use of keyboards' parts and female voices in some moments), but aggressive and harsh as it must sound. They're not trying to be new, but their work is really excellent, filled with a morbid and hooking energy than captures the listeners.

Werwolf is the producer of "Outojen Tornien Varjoissa", and he made a work on the album's sonority that brings back that moldy and raw ambiance that Finnish Black Metal had on the second half of the 90's, but always keeping in mind that the listeners must understand what is being played. Obviously that it could be better (because the band's music deserves it), but it fits in the music needs.

The 10 songs of "Outojen Tornien Varjoissa" (that means something like 'in the shadows of strange towers') are really excellent, but the very good mix of a harsh ambiance with great melodies of "Saastainen Valo Lintutornissa" (where the female voices can be heard), the brutal and fast approach of "Myytti Am'Khollenin Kuninkaasta" (very good chilling guitar riffs), the charming melodies shown on "Kuulas Musta Aika" (it's impossible to resist), the fine mix between aggressive parts with introspective melodic moments shown on "Loitsupuut" (the vocals are excellent), the excellent and sinister tempos of "KeihäSrinta" (very good and heavy work from bass guitar and drums), and the funereal and melancholic insight used on "Valottomien Askelten Takana" are the best for a first time on the band's musical work.

Obviously that "Outojen Tornien Varjoissa" will give great moments for those fan from melodic Black Metal from the 90's, but FAUSTIAN PACT seems to be one more excellent name from Finland to be side by side of GLOOMY GRIM, THY SERPENT, BARATHRUM, AZAGHAL and other Black Metal giants from Finland.