Desolate Realm awakens the roots of Heavy/Doom.
Formed in 2018 in Finland by Matias Nastolin (guitar/bass/vocals, Altar of Betelgeuze, Decaying) and Olli Törrönen (drums, Chalice, Decaying, Mangled Hands), the band signs their second album, Legions.
Legions, the eponymous track, opens the doors of this metallic-sounding universe in which a deep voice tells us its story, accompanied by heady leads and an always solid rhythmic. Doom’s slowness perfectly combines with the motivating Heavy elements like this unexpected piercing scream, but also with the heavy atmosphere of Final Dawn, a darker and heavier composition which also lets epic accents express themselves on a cold rhythmic. Forsaken Ground, the following track, will accelerate the tempo to give a warlike dimension to this Old School sound while keeping the more airy and worrying parts. Piercing screams give a martial tone to the composition again, before the rhythmic becomes more intense, then Revelation will again make the sound heavier and slower to make it very haunting. The more energetic harmonics create an interesting contrast before starting again at a higher speed for the pessimistic but also more solemn Betrayal. The band also dips into some Thrash elements in these aggressive leads before returning to that heady, jerky sound on The Lost One, creating again a clear divide between the two tracks while adding softer, melodic elements which remain intriguing. The final mystical tone leads us to Through the Depths, a mysterious and occult composition that leaves no doubt about the band’s Swedish influences, perfectly welcoming their cold touch, then the long Eternal Winter will close this album with more impressive and yet more soaring touches while also including energetic parts to pay tribute to their roots’ richness and diversity.
With Legions, Desolate Realm offers us a both dense and easy listening album, letting slowness and epic tones meet martial and jerky riffs under a catchy Old School banner.
85/100