Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Desolate Shrine - Fires of the Dying World (2022)

Desolate Shrine have bounced on and off my radar since 2012's popular sophomore release The Sanctum of Human Darkness.  As Finnish death metal goes they are not quite as unique in their sound as say Krypts are, but they do still possess that punishing low end of death metal that is synonymous with the country scene and have forged a five album career in just over a decade.  Fires of the Dying World is their first in five years yet does not sound like a band who have been apart for any length of time.  Sharing members of Sargeist and Convocation (amongst other bands as well), Desolate Shrine sound as cohesive and mature on album number five as they always have.  The experience of the group is obvious and despite their bm credentials, their sound has limited bm influence.  Ranging from the familiar aforementioned Finnish sound to more of death / doom tempo over six tracks (and an acoustic intro that sets the scene nicely), Desolate Shrine have a limited yet effective variety in their kit bag.

What is obvious from track two onwards is that there is true power behind the riffs here.  As we get to the slower tempo of The Dying World we start to really hear the bleak emptiness of the band's sound, using harrowing melodies and punchy riff patterns to drive home their darkness and this marriage of the more raw death metal riffs with the restrained and detailed atmospherics or melodies is the clever balancing act that the trio pull off here.  By the time we roll around to the majestic riffing that comes in at approximately two thirds of the way through Cast to Walk the Star of Sorrow I am completely sold on this record.  It might lack the dynamic and signature off-kilter rhythms and odd melodies of some of their contemporaries but fuck me does it have an attitude all of its own that is clear for all forty-six minutes of the record.

The previous two releases had shown a band going of the boil a little for me - certainly when compared with the debut and sophomore releases.  The Heart of the Netherworld and Deliverance from the Godless Void never felt like complete offerings, certainly in terms of that cohesion that I mention early on on this review.  Here the good ideas are part of a smarter concept overall and the highlights standout from a much more appealing foundation layer to begin with.  Nice to see a band get back on course and show some real bite still.