Winter, coldness and Melodic Death Metal, three key words to begin reviewing this second album by the Finnish band RAIN OF ACID coming out in early 2014. The album is entitled "Ghost Town" and stands with a production provided by the leader of BEFORE THE DOWN, Tuomas Saukkonen, and he is not only behind the mixing and the mastering but he recorded the drums with a great mastery which gives more positive points to the album.

"Ghost Town" is a continuation of the first album "Lost Souls" released in 2011, which revisits the Melodic Death Metal in a way to give another spirit and unique personality. The album kicks off with a little acoustic intro with a set of arpeggios, which prepared me for the following pieces that seems to be very melodic and atmospheric. My prejudices were in their place, "Unveiled" opens the door for a trip to Scandinavia, which will also put in front the traditional elements of extreme metal with a bunch of powerful guitars and a good amount of blast beats. The arrangements were direct without falling into repetitiveness, and this is another strong point. Several combinations were used, we can see that there's a quiet and atmospheric parts, followed after with a rise in tempo and intensity, try to listen to "The Tower Of Glass" for example. The melodic search was successful for me; the lead guitar parts were really generous and performed with great mastery. "Unchained" and "Westeland Of Dreams" are the best examples for me. The voice of Esa Uusimaa was very present and sometimes we here a combination between screams and a severe guttural voice. And behind it all, there was a very good production which emphasizes the Melodic Death spirit of the band.

Being a fan of BEFORE THE DAWN and Melodic Death in general, I can really notice the influences of Tuomas Saukkonen and his band on this album. But the opus is armed with 10 pieces generously composed and interpreted, which I confirm after several listening sessions.