Horizon Ignited - Towards the Dying Land Review

“Towards the Dying Land” is exactly the kind of album that gives me mixed emotions. In such weeks as this one when there are lots of albums to review I like to give me a tour throught the albums. I start to listen to them and feel if the albums is going to give me the exact emotion to immediately start writing. It’s also an opportunity to, sometimes, rule out an album. Well, when I put “Towards the Dying Land” to play my initial reaction was to love it at first sight. Album opener “Beyond Your Reach” was everything I expected from a Melodic Death Metal band. However, following track “Servant” was disappointing with its modern Metal taste. So, I put the album on hold expecting the day I would be in the mood for it. In other words, I let behind to the release date or the day when I would have the enough time to pay close attention to the album. As I said, “Towards the Dying Land” got me and I thought “Towards the Dying Land” deserved another fair chance. Ok, so here I am.

I really don’t know why “Towards the Dying Land” reminded me October Tide – the first Melodic Death Metal I’ve ever heard. Maybe its the mood. I really don’t know. This is an album to listen carefully and with an open mind. The way Horizon Ignited mix traits is uncanny, but reasonable. The band does have a personal touch and that is to mix Melodic Death Metal with the cores with a more melodic verve. Horizon Ignited do this not in each track but track by track. I mean, each track has its own personality. It’s something like they write the lyrics and decide that it fits to Melodic Death Metal or to other style. To be fair with the band, a few tracks as “Death Has Left Her Side” mix both. From where I’m standing its when the band gets their better mix. The melodic guitars work fine with some strangement of the cores or even some other feature they want to use. The track has a pungent guitar riffing and vocals change around the song. I see that as a peculiar trait from the band. Grand finale “Eventide of Abysmal Grief” does the same though with a little bit more Melodic Death Metal in it.

When the fan gets used to the music Horizon Ignited perform there’s a great danger of getting addicted. Even the modern parts catch exactly the mood of the mix of the band. Of course, it’s not easy to deal with all these influences. I have to praise vocalist Okko Solanterä’s throat to the ability of singing in so many styles. The guy really deserves it.

Horizon Ignited “Towards the Dying Land” will be released on July 01st via Nuclear Blast Records.

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