Finland and melo-death. Those two things don’t seem to go together. Finland is mostly known for doom metal, power metal, or power-metal-influenced metal (at least to my knowledge). The melo-death style is now littered with cookie-cutter bands. The so-called ‘Gothenburg’ sound is, for the most part, overplayed, overused, and just tried, with very little variation anymore. The originators of the style are pretty much extinct, or at least the spirit is. But Finland’s Omnium Gatherum is a bit of fresh air, and although I prefer their debut ‘Spirits and August Light’ over their recent adventure, ‘Years in Waste’ is a pretty good album. Not anything that stands out in the pack, but better than your average band.

Musically, it is what you would expect form a melo-death band, but there are a few added little features thrown in throughout the album. There are atmospheric touches here and there, namely the intro of “Black Seas Cry.” “It’s a Long Night” features a cool mid-paced midsection. “Gravesilence” just sounds great. The album’s stand out is “More Withering,” with a mid-paced melody, driving riffs, varied vocals, and nice intro, it’s just a great song. “Auguries Gone” is a really good, very fitting closer for the album. The solos that are on the album are very tight and good. In the end though, it leaves you with the feeling that it’s just another melo-death effort. It is a good one, but just another one that probably will be forgotten about within a few years.

The production is really good, fitting the style very well. The drumming seems to stand out for some reason, too. It’s a very tight album in an overplayed style. Overall, if you’re looking for a melo-death album that has a little bit more to offer, Omnium Gatherum is where you should look, though you should probably start with ‘Spirits and August Light’ first.

[This review was first published on the now defunct scandinavianmetal.info webzine]