#VAGABONDZREVIEW: DEAD END FINLAND - HEAVY RAIN
- Dec 23, 2022
- 6 min read
What’s up Vagabonds! I’m here again to present the state of the art REVIEW! This time we’re about to dip into heavy and serene Finnish metal that won’t leave you indifferent.
The very distinctive feature of Finnish music amongst every individual of Northern metal scene is undoubtedly the tremendous amount of melodics that are held up by smooth and silky heaviness expressed in enormous combination of rhythm section instruments. And it’s something I find intoxicating in every piece of music written in Finland.
Today’s band for me to review isn’t an exception and moreover, it has damn loud name, that makes me think – oh yeah, that must be something I’m about to fall in love with! It’s all about Dead End Finland and their new single Heavy Rain taken from the band’s upcoming album Victory.
Let’s see what Dead End Finland’s guitarist & bass player Santtu Rosén comments on the band’s release: "The recordings of Dead End Finland's fifth album have been completed. The new single "Heavy Rain" from the upcoming album, which will be released in March 2023, will be released on December 15th. Like the previous albums, it will be released in collaboration with Inverse Records. "The single is about that crushing feeling when gloom and doom take over the mind again. It's about the powerlessness you feel first thing in the morning and the inadequacy that doesn't leave you until the next night. The feeling when every day is hard in the wind and in the heavy rain."
What can I say about the song description is that those feelings are something every human being is able to feel. That’s something that can obsess you for a long time but happily, you can always find the solution in case you really want to escape. I find it important topic to be featured in the album and I’m inquisitive to find out what Heavy Rain hides deep inside.
Let’s dip into the song now!
The intro of Heavy Rain made me back to the age of 14, when I loved listening to dark and heavy music like HIM, The 69 Eyes (earlier stuff), To/Die/For, Type O’ Negative and The Doors. In black, doom, drawing pictures of my favorite bands during a lesson… Damn, that was ages ago but feels like yesterday. No matter how much time has come, that period of time has foreseen me today – still into the same kind of music, trying to write the similar music and of course, listening to the same music. It’s priceless, when the music brings back so much cool memories from your past and this is one of the main reasons I appreciate it for.
The intro is thoroughly instrumental. It features solid basement of drums, bass and guitars that are completely dipping me into the darkness and gloom blooming from the first moments of the song. I like the fact there’s a great deal of reverberation put into drums track – this feature is able to point out heaviness and make a focus on it. For the reason that the gloom and heaviness are mood drivers of the song, the trick with reinforced reverberation helps to feel it better. What adds up to the heavy shades of Heavy Rain the uninstructive keyboard melody that highlights the power expressed by the rest of instruments rather than adding a remarkable lead melody, that would stick in your memory. As for this song – it’s a great step to combine all those instruments that are perfectly complementing each other and help understand the song idea better.
The song intro is pretty long what’s good in order to enjoy the calmness and power expressed. However, the calmness is soon being abrupt by appearing oh-my-gosh-I-love-them growling vocals. It’s been my top favorite technique lately. What I find intoxicating here in Heavy Rain is the growl technique that holds so much power but the same time staying brutal and smoothly following the development of the song. The exact moment when the vocals enter is electrifying and thrilling and something Heavy Rain needs to be charged with.
The main feelings vocals demonstrate is dominance, defiance and fury. As for me, it also feels like a dozens of grief and bitterness are hidden behind the furious mask what is easy to explain remembering the song description. The element emphasizing the above feelings is keyboard – the sharp, destructive and driving sound it reflexes helps add up to the song atmosphere in high degree.
And still, I haven’t mentioned any bands (excepting To/Die/For) to make association with Dead End Finland’s single. As far as I’m concerned, I’d like to mention Amaranthe whose ex-vocalist Henrik Englund has similar growling style. Generally speaking, the verse part has a strong connection with Swedish metal, mainly because it has lack of smooth melodics (that often has repeating pattern), but instead provides Heavy Rain with brutal and powerful flavor that I find captivating enough.
The transition from the verse to chorus has become a point to consider. I’m feeling overwhelmed how the band managed to join the song parts so smoothly and naturally and same time powerful. I haven’t heard any volume or pitch changes but it’s still the transition made in damn immersing way. What astonishes even more is the appearance of clean vocals in chorus that add up to the peacefulness of the song. The intro part of chorus demonstrates the interplay between growl and clean that has been one of my top favorite elements in heavy music. The both techniques are performed majestically and greatly, charged with the great power rush thanks to thunderous kick that finely putting the main focus on them. The second part of chorus makes me literally trembling – how did they make it so alive? To my mind, it’s the clean vocals that fired up the song chorus making it standout and luminous. THIS is simply heavy, and that’s the heavy I admire. I feel the music that comes out of heart and this fact makes the song performance way more effective.
Another association I caught from lead vocalist of Dead End Finland is Shade Of Sorrow’s Mika Kankainen whose single Meteor I reviewed earlier this year. The both vocalists are professionals in at the same degree, and I feel much similarity in their vocal technique, namely when it comes to holding a note while singing (here in Heavy Rain it’s noticeable in the end of every line). Just listen to the both bands and you’ll know exactly what am I speaking about.
The intoxicating mixture of feelings presented in the first part of the song makes me think – is that legal? Is that legal to write so beautiful, brutal, meaningful and breathtaking song? I’m totally raptured. This band is a real eyes opener for me.
The second part of the song, reinforced by afterglow of the first one, is totally ecstatic. Starting from the instrumental bridge joining the verse, I start feeling that it’s about the time to headbang and jump, because after chorus effect has extended up to the second verse. Oh yeah, considering that effect during the live show…
The second verse keeps the spirit of the first one, however, the guitars and keys are a bit sharper than it felt in the beginning of the song. The vocals are still being brutal and relentless, following the instrumental pattern and coloring it with feelings. When it comes to chorus once again, I notice a small change from the first one – it’s doubling vocals that are hearable in the end of first line of clean chorus part. Such small elements are able to make a great difference when it comes to the song perception – this time the chorus is felt deeper, darker. And sharpening, especially, when the modulation acts higher therefore making the song more bottom.
The end of the song wasn’t foreseen for me to have had the repeated chorus and no solo or an instrumental bridge… But in case for Heavy Rain, it’s perfectly fine not to overload the song with tones of different elements that would make us forget some significant part. I like that the end of the song (the repeated chorus) was greatly emphasized by blast beats that illuminate yet wonderful chorus.
Couple of words about production to be said. The main point is that Heavy Rain is airy and bottom, what makes it thoroughly magical. The production was made on incredible level and I highly recommend listening to Heavy Rain as loud as you can. Despite the fact that Dead End Finland comes from Finland (sorry for tautology), the sound is closer to Swedish metal. Making a conclusion, it’s top of the grade song that’s still playing in my head. Believe me, this happens only when I’m really into something.
This song has defeated and bewitched me. It’s a pure ecstasy I feel after every listening of Heavy Rain. I can’t wait to review the band’s upcoming album Victory.
Dead End Finland Line-up: Mikko Virtanen - Vocals Santtu Rosén - Guitars & Bass Miska Rajasuo - Drums Jarno Hänninen - Keys
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