Back in 2018, two members of Finnish death metal battalion Decaying formed a new doom-focused project. Featuring Matias Nastolin’s riffs and mighty bellow and Olli Törrönen behind the drum kit, the collaboration emerged as Desolate Realm. Their Unleash the Storm EP revealed a downcast heavy metal band that invokes the forlorn majesty of Solitude Aeternus and Candlemass. The band’s self-titled debut LP retained that edge of classic metal and indulged some faster tempos while remaining entrenched in traditional doom. Now Desolate Realm prepares to unleash their newest album, Legions. Join Decibel Magazine as we exclusively explore this record a few days before its March 17th release.
From the first licks of the opening title track, Desolate Realm shun the slow ‘n’ low trappings of modern doom. Nastolin punctuates the tracks with a King Diamond wail as the riffs rollick through the grim soundscapes. As the album stomps through its second half, the duo’s doom affinity shines in “The Lost One” and “Through the Depths.” Like Solitude Aeternus also explored the depths (of eternal sorrow), Desolate Realm deep-dive into a well of doom influences in the closing epic “Eternal Winter.” It’s an album that feels confident and unrushed at any speed while bringing a welcome iron-fisted toughness to the doom genre.
“The vision for making Legions was clear from the beginning,” Desolate Realm shares in a statement. “We wanted to introduce new elements to the band’s sound, but also make sure that the musical style doesn’t change. The music once again consists of crushing riffs, big drums and epic vocals. Slower parts sound massive and faster parts are powerful. “Forsaken Ground” and the title track are faster songs and “Revelation” shows more of the doom side. “Eternal Winter” ends the album in an epic way. Cheers to Decibel for the full album stream! Play it loud!”
Beckon eternal winter and press play on Legions below.