Release date: June 7th 2019
Vastaus, the debut album from Finnish melodic metallers Alase, is a rather impressive piece of work. It’s a very well-rounded piece of work that really shows off the talent of the band and certainly leaves you wanting more – Alase have really nailed it with album number one, so I’m very keen to see where they go from here.
There’s just the right amount of melody and heaviness, and the vocals are absolutely stunning. There’s a lot of body and emotion to them, so they add a great deal of colour to the already-breathtaking music, and each song brings something different to the table. Vastaus is filled with variety whilst simultaneously sounding coherent and together; all of the songs blend together very well.
One of those albums you keep wanting to come back to, Vastaus doesn’t fall short when it comes to memorable tracks and a particular highlight falls in the middle of the album. Osa minua is a song with a lot going on in it – there are soft sections and heavy sections, with the two different styles and approaches blending seamlessly together. It’s both atmospheric and crushingly heavy, bringing in all the best elements from each spectrum of the scale.
The only issue with Vastaus is that it’s nothing you haven’t already heard. Whilst musically faultless, there’s nothing to set Alase apart from the crowd. Still, if you like your melodic metal then Alase is a band you won’t want to miss.
8/10
