Shape of Despair – Return to the Void

Label: Season of Mist    Release: February 25, 2022

Another sign of life from the Finnish funeral doom icons Shape of Despair, as it’s been a few years since their last album (Monotony Fields, 2015). However, the individual band members have not been idle, considering their other commitments with e.g. Finntroll, Impaled Nazarene, Throes of Dawn and Counting Hours.

Beautiful and at the same time gut-wrenchingly sad: loneliness and hopelessness turned into an epic music experience themselves musically epic, garnished with vocals from the depths of the grave, melancholic choirs and a female voice adding atmosphere and lamentations. The shortest song is about 8 minutes -which means you can indeed wallow in mourning. The compatriots Kuolemanlaakso sound pretty cheerful, in comparison …

Tracklist:
1. Return To The Void (09:14)
2. Dissolution    (08:59)
3. Solitary Downfall (11:06)
4. Reflection In Slow Time (08:08)
5. Forfeit (08:00)
6. The Inner Desolation (11:48)

Recording line-up:
Henri Koivula – vocals
Natalie Koskinen – vocals
Jarno Salomaa – guitars and keyboards
Tomi Ullgrén – guitars
Sami Uusitalo – bass
Samu Ruotsalainen – drums

Recording studio:  Beat Domination Studio, D-Studio and Doom Cave
Producer / sound engineer:  Produced by Shape of Despair Engineered by Samu Ruotsalainen, Miika Niemelä, Jarno Salomaa and Henri Koivula

Mixing studio and engineer: Beat Domination Studio / Samu Ruotsalainen
Mastering studio / engineer:  Chartmakers West / Svante Forsbäck

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shapeofdespair.bandcamp.com