Some people addicted to past Metal formulas have the bad habit of saying that ‘this-isn’t-the-right-way-of-playing-it’ (it’s a fallacy to hear people was born after 1995 to say that ‘the-80s-were-better’, but’s a matter for psychiatry to explain such people), and there’s nothing that give foundations for such affirmation. If you want to break limits, do it! It’s what the greater names always did in the past and can do today. And the Finnish quintet VOIDFALLEN seems to be courageous enough to do it, as heard on “The Rituals of Resilience”, their second full-length. Juhamatti Kauppinen (mixing) and Mika Jussila (mastering) are the guys who give the band the sonority heard. It’s aggressive, massive and heavy, filled with a modern feeling that allows their songs to gain life and spew energy in a way that’s hard to be heard. And the artwork is truly great, being concomitant with the music the band plays.

What is heard on the album is a huge and modern format of Melodic Death Metal, actual and full of energy. The band shows a great care on the instrumental arrangements (pay attention to the charming orchestrations and melodic guitar solos), but always keeping the hooking aspect of their music clear to the ears. It’s different from the usual from the genre, creative and filled with charming melodies (pay attention to the melancholic touch heard on “Threads of Blood”), but bone-crushing as well.

“Threads of Blood”, “The Original Wound”, “Hymn for the Fallen”, “Starved of Martyrs”, “Tread With the Ghosts”, “From the Towers of Ivory”, “Ritual of Resilience”, “Pyre of Vengeance”, “Branding of Souls” and “The Mourning Shores” are songs filled with inspiration and a clear need to be new, to be different from many others. And the combination of ideas heard on the album states clean: the quintet is really different!

As final words, it must be said that “The Rituals of Resilience” is a mature and excellent release, and shows that VOIDFALLEN is one of the most promising names of Finnish Melodic Death Metal.