October Tide
Tunnel Of No Light

I deeply despised the return of October Tide titled "A Thin Shell". An uninspired album that unfortunately sticks too closely to certain tried and tested solutions in the melodic Death Metal field. Neither the proposal nor the production did justice to the comeback of the legendary (and superior) Katatonia's side project.

It seemed like a forced release, dictated by the desire to make money by reviving a project that, to be fair, gave its best in the '90s with works such as the monumental "Rain Without End" and the less convincing, yet still valid, "Grey Dawn".

Now, October Tide tries again and offers something closer to their roots. In this "Tunnel of No Light" there's some classic slow, dark Death-Doom with gothic tones. By gothic, I don't mean tacky elements like female vocals added with the intent to make everything sweeter, nor the use of keyboards.

Music that recalls the Paradise Lost of "Gothic" and "Shades of God", the Katatonia of the first two releases, and partially the more aggressive Opeth.

No, "Tunnel of No Light" will not change the fate of extreme music by a millimeter, and it may not say anything new to those who grew up with Doom-Gothic sounds. What can be stated, on the other hand, is that the band understood where the mistake was and has admirably corrected their aim.

I repeat: October Tide could have peacefully stopped at the second album released way back in 1999. However, if their intention was to return to the scene, this new album confirms that not all is lost. Not a fundamental work but a partial sign of rebirth for a genre long dead and buried.