MASTORD is a Progressive Metal band hailing from Finland. “Lemmon Lintu” is their third full-length album. The album has eleven songs, and “Särö” is first, a piano and string led number with very somber tones. It flies under the radar with just enough sonority to keep you on your toes. “Kutsu” hears the full expansion of their sound, and rich keyboards combine with somber vocals and clean guitars. You can really year a blues influence to their music. “Kaarne” has harder edges that are more angled, but it still high in melody. You can hear a heavy emotional burden in the vocals, and, like any good Progressive band, some subtle shifting of the meter.

“Villi” is another somber and somewhat depressive offering, and the melody shines in the chorus, along with great vocal harmonies. “Hautani” is a bit longer, giving the band some time to explore more. The spacy keyboards in the beginning are haunting, as is the slow beating heart in the background. From there, sultry, blues based somber tones take over, and the lead breaks are the perfect accompaniment. “Raja” is a short, two-minute segue, and once again, it features sober piano tones with strings in tow. “Varjoton” has more powerful and cinematic tones, and this was the song that I was waiting for…an energetic shot of adrenaline into your veins. Still, it drips with tones of emotional anguish and perhaps some regret.

“Hiilenmusta” makes no bones about being incredibly sober, and you can feel cold winds of winter howling through your clothes. It has a slow pace, to allow the emotions to sink in even further. “Sametti” replaces some of the tones of frustration with tones of anger, and as the saying goes, anger is more useful than despair. This song also has more character, and more depth, and I would love to hear more like these on the album. “Pyhä” closes the album, and it ends much of the way it started. Overall, this was a solid listen for me, but too many of the songs fell into the same somber category, and I would have liked to have heard the band take a few more chances, maybe some change of pace songs even. I enjoy somber music, but this was just a bit too much.