In Finland there is no shortage of high-level bands dedicated to melodic death doom, and if some time ago I told about the latest work of Kaunis Kuolematon, today Marianas Rest respond. Basically they represent the same side of the coin, but unlike their compatriots they express themselves in English, favouring that little bit more penetration on the international market. Fata Morgana is the third full length by the band from Kotka and comes to refine and consolidate what they already did very well with Horror Vacui in 2016 and Ruins in 2019. Great melodies stand out on an impeccable atmospheric carpet and suitably mottled by Jaakko Mäntymaa’s vocal interpretation that alternates between growl and scream, renouncing clean vocals altogether. This does not affect the listenability of the album but, if anything, makes it even more compact and less dispersive, favouring the unfolding of seven engaging tracks interspersed with a short instrumental. Fata Morgana enjoys an excellent production that enhances the interweaving of melodic textures with aggressive or, on the contrary, painful passages. Marianas Rest‘s death doom doesn’t possess anything innovative, but objectively, in front of such a well constructed work, it would be specious to look for some weak points at all costs.

2021 – Napalm Records