From the dark shores of the Baltic Sea, MARIANAS REST channel the deep melancholy of their homeland. Hailing from the southeastern Finnish town of Kotka, the band was formed in 2013 and has since become a powerful force in the world of melancholic death metal. In January 2026 the band will return with their fifth full length, "The Bereaved," and a brand new record label deal with Noble Demon. It is a deeply personal tale of death and the many forms in which the end may appear. We meet these Finnish axe men in midst of memorial, tortured by those do's or don'ts of individuals left behind, even though some indeed pity the living and envy the dead. At such times, who is more blessed, the deceased or the bereaved?

The album has ten songs, and "Thank you for the Dance" is first. It has a bit of a slow start, but the towering riff that drops with symphonic elements in tow is crushing. The harsh vocals fit the music quite well. It's dread 2.0. "Divided" comes out of the gate firing on all cylinders, and the keyboards create a lush texture that contrasts with the anguished vocal screams and gutturals. The music feels overwhelming at times, like it could swallow you…it's suffocating. "Again into the Night" begins like a dark morning with a steady cold rain falling, and another massive riff hits, crawling slow like a glacier moving through icy seas. Like a car careening towards a cliff, it's only a matter of time before it races over the edge.

"Burden" digs down to the very heart of the album. The vocal chants bring some melody with them, although the music is very somber. What does one do with a burden that is larger than they can handle? As I see it, you have only two choices…try to carry it and fight through, or give into it. The piano work is frail, but those riffs and vocals are punishing. "Pity the Living" essentially begs the question of the very essence of the album, and I will ask it again…who is more blessed, the deceased or the bereaved? The pacing is dreadfully slow, the music is almost dissociative, and the vocals are tortured utterings from a person who has been pushed beyond the point of grief.

"Tyhja" features a good deal of atmospheric tones, ambient breezes, and still the heavy weight of emotional fog that just hangs in the air. It is absolutely stifling…and you can't shake it from your clouded vision. "The Colour of You" is the final song. The entering spoken words are prophetic and declarative, and the harsh vocals cut against like a chainsaw shredding pounds of paper. They are so expressive and reflective of the things you feel when listening, and as it continues, each breath seems like your last. "Channeling deep melancholy" is about as good of a descriptor as I can think of to describe the album. The depth of that melancholy seems to travel to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, and stays there forever, lost and forgotten by the sands of time.