In the end of the 80s, extreme Finnish Metal scene appeared by some new names as BEHERIT, IMPALED NAZARENE, AMORPHIS, SENTENCED and others. So, we can say that Finland has a strong and great tradition in extreme bands. Even when they are not widely known, there's always something happening on Finnish underground, bands preparing themselves to tame the world, or just struggling for a better place in the scene. And on Death Metal, we all know that the country offered many names for the world, and one of the newest ones is from the quartet ILLUSIONS DEAD, from Helsinki, that is arriving with their first album, "Celestial Decadence".

We can hear a mix between Death Metal aggressiveness and adrenaline with the somber and nasty elements from Black Metal. Ok, it really seems like nothing new at all, but you can bet on their work, because the band has a strong personality behind the aggressiveness. And to be honest, there are fine musical arrangements under the brutality of their songs. And the more you hear "Celestial Decadence", the more you will discover of their musical diversity.

Saska Dönges worked on the recording and edition of the album, as Nikke Kuki took the responsibility to mix and master the songs. The result is something that sounds as raw and aggressive as their music needs, but with a sense of clearness that we all need to understand what they are doing. Yes, it's good, but not perfect.

You can be convinced of their talent by the following tracks: the brutal and tradition (in a Death Metal way) "Incursion" (besides some guitars are different from the usual), the oppressive and technical "Devoured by Hatred" with its thunderous rhythmic kitchen, the bitter and somber atmosphere carried by "Hour of the Raven" (a slow and introspective song, with its fine shrieked voices and very good riffs) and "Revolution (Celestial Spheres)" (with some sad and intense melodies on the guitars), and their brutal last nail in the coffin called "Illusions Dead", with a sad and melancholic feeling in the middle of the brutality and high-pitched shrieked screams.

This quartet is a very good revelation, indeed.<