Band:	Ikuinen Kaamos
Album:	Fall Of Icons
Style:	Progressive death metal, Death doom metal
Release date:	March 05, 2010
A review by:	Darkside Momo

01. Indoctrination Of The Lost
02. Statues
03. In Ruins
04. Condemned
05. Apart

The first thing that comes to mind to anyone putting this CD on, is something along the lines of "hey, is that an Opeth album or what?"? Yes, on this Fall Of Icons, Ikuinen Kaamos do sound a lot like Mikael Åkerfeldt's band, to a point they could be called a copycat.

But are they, really? Well, this album is all about five long, drawn-out songs that meander between harsh parts and soft, melancholic moments. Yes, that does sound familiar. Especially when you can sometimes almost predict when the song will calm down, or start being aggressive again.
Then you've also got to admit that playing some Opeth-related stuff is not given to everyone. It supposes a great skill level, and serious songwriting skills to boot. And frankly, our Finnish dudes do deliver in both areas. No mere feat!

Now, shall we talk a bit about the differences? If the first two songs could have featured on any of their influence's albums, the three others develop more personal atmospheres and moods. It's a bit more somber and melancholic than Opeth to begin with. More hypnotic and entrancing (or, well, boring, for some) too. I guess the Finns have a knack with these?
Also, let's speak about the vocal work. In addition to the soft, clean vocals and death grunts, you can find throughout the album some black metal ones, some others more raspy (a bit like a harsh whisper at times)? In short, there's a huge range here, and it's used to great effect.

While it could and should be more original, this is top-notch musicianship, and a great progressive death album. It is, at times, really beautiful. Clearly an album to check for everyone. Enjoy!