Over the last few months, I have reviewed quite a few really good Melodic Death Metal albums.  Once a genre that seemed to have ran its course around the time IN FLAMES became so controversial, it is now making a comeback in a big way.  You can add WORDS OF FAREWELL'S "A Quiet World" to the growing list of great melodic death. Their overall sound is rather heavy for the genre, focusing on being a solid metal band with a good foundation of groove and riffs, instead of constantly having a duel guitar melody, acoustic passages, or any other "hallmark" of the genre you can think of it.   They rely on Leo's keyboards to deliver the bulk of the atmospheric melody and it pays off well because his keyboards are rather unique sounding.  Often times, the band as a whole brings a gothic sound to the melodic assault, creating an album that has an arresting sound made up of epic yet somber songs.

"Gia Demise" features epic keyboards, a hybrid mix of alien and techno type sounds that somehow manages to work with the heavy riffs from Erik and Robin on guitar. "Limit Cycle" has a beginning that grows into a cascade of melody before opening up with crunchy guitars and pounding drums before giving away to the melodic keyboards.  While the keys play, Alexander is doing a sort of whispered death growl; this combination really gives the song a ton of atmospheric properties, reminding me very much of OMNIUM GATHERUM.   Wegner's drumming is sporadic and spastic on this song, using the full kit to his advantage and creating an energetic pulse.  The ending of the song shows the entire band coming together; a perfect blend of heavy, melody, and spacey keyboards and some very melodic bass from KONSTANTIN.  I think that is what I like most about the band; they come off as very comfortable with each other's playing.  Unlike some other melodic masters (CHILDREN OF BODOM, early SOILWORK), no one in the band shows off or outdoes the other one. WORDS OF FAREWELL just really know how to come together to write and play a good song.

"Gallows Frame" has a more traditional melodic death sound, especially in the guitars.  At the 3:03 mark, the band once more asserts their sound with a trance, almost dance like mid-section, complete with filtered and shattered vocals raining down upon the keys. The last track, "This Shadow My Likeness" is a ten minute opus of melodic death mastery.  It hurdles forward almost immediately, cathedral-like keyboards supporting the twin guitar groove.  Alexander growls his way through the song while the drums and bass give a river of heaviness for the keyboards and melodic guitar solos to float on.  After the five minute mark, the song takes a progressive turn with the riffs constantly changing, the drums laying down fancy skin work, and the keys taking a more organic, clean approach. I really enjoyed this album and definitely will keep it in my regular rotation for some time.  Any fan of melodic death, especially more atmospheric stuff like INSOMNIUM or the already mentioned OMNIUM GATHERUM, need to check this band out.