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The promised land of Heavy Metal, or in this case melodic and melancholic Death Metal, Finland, is apparently still hiding many of its true, potential gems. Here’s one of them: a band called Earthgrave featuring five guys, who activated the band in 2014.

The band’s debut album, titled First Snow of the Final Winter, released independently at the end of June 2018, took me by surprise because of how good it is. I would say that if you try to mix some early Amorphis with early Amon Amarth’s ruthless chest-pounding, you can pretty much imagine what these Finns sound like. This is the kind of stuff where sheer brutality and irresistible and catchy melodies of Metal music meet perfectly, at least in most parts. In fact, the album is pretty much filled with these lads’ good sense for tasteful and hooky moments. Songs like "Funeral of Gaia", "My Home, My Tomb" and "Buried by Brief" are prime examples of how to do melodic Death Metal right, basically representing true mastery of the genre. The guitars sound is thick, crispy and very heavy, and the keyboards bring in a good amount of welcomed nuances. Overall, as I’ve already said, I found Earthgrave’s debut as a pleasant surprise.

I am sure these guys can even improve their sound in the future, so I will definitely keep my eyes out for their further comings and goings, no doubt.