Dead End Finland – “Lifelong Tragedy” [Song Review]

Little-known melodic heavy metal band Dead End Finland are from Helsinki, Finland, and formed in 2008. Although not household names outside of their homeland, they still have an impressive run of productivity – three albums in the last 8 years. This new single “Lifelong Tragedy” marks an introduction to their as-yet-untitled fourth recording, due in 2019 via Inverse Records, as per their previous albums. From what we know so far, “Lifelong Tragedy” reflects that the upcoming release will represent a more musically diverse chapter for the band.

The track does indeed open with a slow, doom metal-influenced intro, the main body of the song winding in with a gloomy and ominous atmosphere. Straight away, the hints of Ghost influence within the annals of this track are hard to dispute – sounding as though it could belong on one of their releases like Infestissumam. However, the execution of this sound is simply sublime – the vocals from Mikko Virtanen are immense, full of ambiance and doom, pulling the listener deep into the composition. There is also a slight electronica influence in the intro, with keyboardist Jarno Hanninen giving even more presence to this dark and dynamic concoction, breathing life and warmth into the gloominess.

Even though Dead End Finland released a full-length only in 2016, this single acts as a spectacular teaser to the next batch of material. After listening to this track, fans of doom and melodic metal alike may well wish for an earlier album release. One certainly hopes that the band can gain traction in this over-saturated metal world, for they can play the game just as well as most others of their ilk.

Run Time: 4:40
Release Date: March 9, 2018

Crank it up and stream the single right here!