Marianas Rest continues its adventure.
After signing with their new label, Noble Demon, Jaakko Mäntymaa (vocals), Aapo Koivisto (keyboards, Omnium Gatherum), Harri Sunila (guitar), Nico Mänttäri (guitar), Nico Heininen (drums), and Niko Lindman (bass) unveil The Bereaved, their fifth album.
Thank You for the Dance opens the album with a melancholic slowness, taking advantage of the softness of the voices to lead us to the singer’s, then to a heavy but haunting rhythm that naturally retains its intoxicating touch even when the screams finally appear. The riffs calm down and meet new choirs before giving way to Rat in the Wall and its Post-Rock touches in the introduction, which transform into more haunting nuances as the different voices intervene and slowly haunt us, converging towards the climax represented by this monstrous growl contrasted by the very bright keyboards. However, the track offers us a relaxing break before returning and moving on to Divided, where we find those gloomy, airy touches, but also expressive screams and long, soft instrumental parts, before giving way to a new, refined touch on Again into the Night, which features clean vocals. The saturation returns in the rhythm to reinforce the majestic roots of the song, which shows us its aggressive side thanks to the striking screams while intensifying its harmonics, then Burden once again exploits keyboards and intense heaviness to hypnotize us again and, above all, reinforce an already solid rhythm, although sometimes a little soft. The drums provide the perfect foundation for the different layers of tranquility that take turns nuancing the composition before Diamonds in the Rough, which re-energizes the atmosphere with Okko Solanterä of (Horizon Ignited) by letting the harmonics distill their magic. Although we feel the song slowing down, the break gives it the boost it needs to reach the final, followed by Pity the Living, which also begins with ethereal notes. Calm prevails, but it doesn’t fail to darken, giving even more soul to the instrumental, whose communicative apathy overwhelms us, then we encounter raw rage on Goodbyes and Good Intentions. The riffs are also slightly livelier and more massive, slowly building intensity with the singer’s spoken words before exploding and carrying our minds away in their steady flow. Then the keyboardist offers us a moment of contemplation with Tyhjä, an instrumental composition that he leads alone. Its airy sounds allow us to collect our thoughts, but also to prepare ourselves for The Color of You after a moment of silence, with the guitars gradually reasserting themselves before the vocalist, then the entire band, join in, imposing their coldness while the chorus chants “You are my Sin” and the roars strike tirelessly before the silence.
I have always found in Marianas Rest that ethereal and captivating touch that I love, and I am pleased to see that despite the label changes, the band has retained it. The Bereaved will require several listens, but I know that its melancholy is already at work.
90/100