Band:	Words Of Farewell
Album:	The Black Wild Yonder
Style:	Melodic death metal
Release date:	February 28, 2014
A review by:	R'Vannith

01. Continuum Shift
02. Telltale Notion
03. In Kingdoms Of Rain
04. Damaged Beyond Repair
05. Beauty In Passing
06. The Outer Rim
07. Temporary Loss Of Reason
08. Antibiosis
09. Luminary Ghost
10. Riven
11. Overture [iTunes bonus]

With Words Of Farewell we can say goodbye to limp and lifeless melodic death metal as The Black Wild Yonder is an incredibly robust record.

This is the follow up to their impressive 2012 début Immersion, which demonstrated the integral strengths that you would expect of more seasoned acts within the genre. With such potential in tow, they've managed to deliver a clear refinement in this sophomore effort with its staggering strength of composition. Though the début was effectively tied together, these Germans have moved forward with their album construction, with this new record showing finer placement and tapping of the band's strengths. It's possible for the listener to hear the more orderly and structured approach to song writing, which in and of itself is melodically resounding with a whole lot of punch and aggressivity. The atmospheric components, whether of the graceful piano or synth layering variety, are smartly placed not only as transitional segments between each of the album's parts, but within the context of each track they are buried supportively beneath the forceful melodic assault of the guitars so as to give the riffs their sheen. Production polishing enhances this to powerful results and is surely one of this album's greatest assets.

The use of fading is nicely done, such as in the intro of "Beauty In Passing," which maximises the punch as the guitars ascend explosively to the fore. This effect goes a long way toward breaking any monotony as well as providing a more effectively streamlined listen, more than I could say was the case with their début, which may have been more of a diverse listen, but not as neatly, clearly and cogently expressed as what we have here.

Unity is key. While each track bears a close resemblance to the next they can be heard as variations on the same experience or original pieces on the same tightly composed core sound; a sound which possesses melodic strength, atmospheric engagement and a high level of consistency, all three of these being essentials to any great melodic death metal record. The guitar work is creatively impressive and bolstered with precisional drumming, the growls are loaded with menace and lyrical meaning, and the rhythm section as a whole moves on with such tangible direction and force that any concerns over song distinction seem like wasted thoughts. Dynamism is best represented not in terms of a widely ranging sound, but in the clear vitality of the very ordered, very well presented and purposeful musicianship. This record has clearly been very carefully written with attention given to and control over keyboard use and atmospheric effects, which are precisely placed so as to aid ease of flow and distinguish each of the tracks, rather than act as an encumbrance.

The style also moves beyond the shadows of Omnium Gatherum and Dark Tranquillity for something more individually vigorous. Although The Black Wild Yonder doesn't distance the band from their contemporaries to any notable extent, neither is it directly comparable. In other words moves are made stylistically speaking to create something more of their own, with a stamp of their design to it. And man do they "stamp" it; that would be putting it in the mildest of terms.

Words Of Farewell have a clear notion of where they're taking their sound, not vying for something overly showy, colourful or flamboyant but something driven by an obvious inner strength and sense of purpose. The Black Wild Yonder is structurally sound melodic death metal.