There’s a category of melodic death metal records you recognize the moment you step into it: everything sounds right, the riffs are well-crafted, the production is clean, and after four songs you remember nothing. AS THE SUN FALLS could easily have put out such a record. They didn’t — and that’s both the good news and the start of the story.
Songs From The Veil is their third full-length, out May 22, 2026 via Theogonia Records, and it comes after Kaamos (2024) and the EP Pohjoisen Sydän (2025). If you’ve heard them, you already know where this band is headed. If you haven’t, all you need to know is: Finnish melancholy, atmospheric melodic death metal, and a sound that smells of snow and a night that never ends. This record takes that base and pushes it a step further — diving into Finnish mythology, into the Sielulintu (Soul Bird), into the legendary Fire Fox that lights the northern sky, into the dark worlds of the afterlife. And inside all this epic scenery hides a song about personal, real loss. That move — tying the mythological to the human — is what saves the record from becoming mere pretty atmosphere.
Musically, the four of them — Joni Hakulinen on vocals, Jani Berney Mikkänen and Juuso Laitinen on guitars, and Anttoni Välimaa on drums — know what they’re doing. The tremolo leads do what they should: they wrap around you and won’t let you leave. The melodies get into your head without asking permission. Mikkänen also throws in clean vocals here and there, which gives the sound a sense of vulnerability that fits the subject matter like a glove.
Gogo Melone appears on two tracks and it’s among the record’s best decisions. On “Daughter Of The Air” her voice makes the opening sound like an invitation to another world. But on “Silent Waters” is where she really surprises — because there she doesn’t just do clean vocals: she also throws in screams. And it works. The contrast between the voice and the screams within the same track says more than ten lyrics could.
“9 Days Of Sorrow” is the track that sits on top of you. Slow, heavy, doom-ish in its breathing — like Swallow the Sun on a bad day, which is of course the best day for this sound. “Sielulintu” closes the record like a ritual that doesn’t quite end, and that’s exactly what you want from a closing track.
Now, so you don’t think I’m just blowing smoke: the record lasts 59 minutes and has no desire to make you comfortable. There’s no track that tells you “come on, take a break here.” Some tracks in the middle seem to need a minute less than they take — not much, but enough to notice on the third listen. If you’re looking for hooks that hit fast, this isn’t your record. If you’re looking for something that works properly after 20 minutes of listening and keeps you there, you’re in the right place.
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The production of Mikael Andersson (Soundport Studio) gives the sound spaciousness without emptying it of weight — something that in melodic death metal isn’t as self-evident as it should be. The drums, recorded by Joel Notkonen and edited by Francisco Palomo, keep the tracks tight without drowning them. And the artwork by Gogo Melone is one of those worth looking at while you listen.
Overall, AS THE SUN FALLS have made a record that knows what it wants to be and carries it through to the end. It isn’t perfect. It has moments you’d wish were a little tighter. But it also has what most records of the genre lack: something to say. Put it on with headphones, turn off the lights, and let it do its work.
Tracklist: Songs From The Veil
1. Daughter Of The Air
2. A Shimmer On The Tides
3. As Night Devours
4. A Million Stars Ashine
5. Below A Pale Tree
6. 9 Days Of Sorrow
7. Burning Snow
8. Silent Water
9. Blood To The Soil
10. Sielulintu
Rating: Very good!
Out: May 22, 2026
Label: Theogonia Records
For fans of: Insomnium, Wolfheart, Omnium Gatherum, Swallow the Sun
