Band:	Yearning
Album:	Merging Into Landscapes
Style:	Atmospheric doom metal, Symphonic gothic metal
Release date:	October 15, 2007
Guest review by:	White Winter Sun

01. Prologue: Nascentes Morimur
02. Kaleidoscopic Inscape
03. Sphere Of Disgust
04. Return
05. Datura Stramonium
06. October Rain
07. Lethean Waters
08. Merging Into Landscapes
09. Dead
10. The Dying Morn
11. Epilogue: Nemo Ante Mortem Beatus

Yearning (formed under the name Flegeton) is an atmospheric Doom metal band from Finland. Merging Into Landscapes is the fifth studio album from the band, their first relased through the French label Holy Records. The album was recorded at the D-studio in Klaukkala (Finland) with Olli Haaranen (from Colosseum) as engineer, while the album was mixed by Jarno Häninnen.

For a lot of people, Evershade is the masterpiece from Yearning. Indeed, this album was near from almost reaching something called perfection. Compared to their previous release, Merging Into Landscapes is darker and more direct even though melodious and melancholic parts are here once again.

The album kicks off with a short acoustic opening, entitled "Nascentes Morimur", which immerses and announces the colour to the listener: pain, sorrow, melancholy and despair are once more actively involved in the Yearning's music. This short intro is followed by the awesome "Kaleidoscopic Inscape" which continues to set the scene. Then the album is a sequence of melancholic heaviness and disenchanted sadness with low/mid-tempo riffing, tangled melodies, orchestral elements and of course with splendid vocal parts.

Once again, Juhani Palomäki has done a perfect job and delivers an incredible vocal performance. For sure, he has definitely one of the most beautiful voices in this kind of music. His tessitura is simply impressive on the whole album. Juhani's singing transcribes and delivers emotions along the minutes, reaching a climax on "Return" or on the magisterial "October Rain", where the interaction between the vocals and the wealth of the music is near perfect. Also, the title track "Merging Into Landscapes" contains more prominent keyboards with some really interesting guitar solos, all together leading to a pure melancholic atmosphere. This melancholy remains till the end of the album, which is ended by the brilliant instrumental song, "Nemo Ante Mortem Beatus". Single handedly the title of this song sums up and concludes magnificently all the pain and the suffering which were delivered along the ten previous songs.

I cannot conclude without highlighting the return of Tiina Sitomaniemi, who has done once more some vocals parts on a Yearning album (her last apparition was on the band 1999's release, entitled Plaintive Scenes). There are also some additional Death vocals scattered on the album by Tuborg IV Koskenkorva (Saattue, Let Me Dream).

Merging Into Landscapes contains eleven genuine pieces of art. With its touch of uniqueness from the tormented soul Juhani Palomäki, Merging Into Landscapes can be summed up by something which can be called "the Yearning trademark". Furthermore the sound is powerful and very clear, which strengthens the overall quality of this CD. Finally, Merging Into Landscapes was one of my favourite albums from the year 2007, so I can only recommend you to put this CD on your player, close your eyes and enjoy your listening, you will not be disappointed, really.

Highlights: "Kaleidoscopic Inscape", "October Rain", "Merging Into Landscapes", "Nemo Ante Mortem Beatus"