I’m fairly new to Sweden’s Meadow’s End despite my love of all things that melds symphonics and metal, having only recently discovered the band’s 2016 release, Sojourn (in part to a brilliant piece of evocative cover art), and thusly grabbing the bands other 2 previous releases and pre ordering this, the band’s fourth effort.

What Meadows End deliver is a form of melodic death metal with heavy orchestration, you could think of them as ‘Fleshgod Apocalypse -lite’ if you will, but with riffs that cull more from (better) In Flames end of the metal spectrum, rather than the blasting death metal end. The orchestration/choirs are epic and dramatic, but not as classical, more rooted in video/game styled symphonics, but still rousing none the less.

It all comes together rather well in one big enjoyable, polished bombastic affair, though the band just never quite seems to really deliver that knockout punch or truly killer track that makes me crave it or the band. A couple come close such as  second track “Storm of Perdition”, fourth track, the more urgent personal favorite  “Night’s Bane” and the varied penultimate number, “The Insignificance of Man” which as some clean vocals, some very nice black metal blasting and some rousing choirs.

But the other tracks are all pretty solid such as well such as the more somber  “Svept i sorgepläd” and “Her Last Sigh Goodbye” and the whole affair is well produced, well packaged ( I expect no less from Black Lion) and overall a pretty enjoyable release from a band that is just a few truly killer riffs and songs away from greatness.

[Visit the band's website]

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