In my opinion, line up changes can do two things: they can either make or break a band. RAPTURE replaced guitarist Jarno Salomaa with Aleksi Ahokas (ex-DIABLERIE). In a big move, they added the thicker Death growls of Henri Villberg (ex-DIABLERIE), thereby changing Petri Eskelinen’s duties over to clean vocals, creating a new dimension of dual vocals evident in bands like OPETH.

Such a move has added to the RAPTURE skill set an ability to musically diversify away a bit more from the KATATONIA-esque sound they have been somewhat criticised for.

One thing that is evident on this Finnish quintet’s offering is that they strongly fly the flag for a country which battles for the crown currently held by Sweden. The good news is they're putting up one hell of a fight. If this is a hint for things to come, we’re in for one hell of a ride, as some fantastic music is coming our way.

This album sees RAPTURE take a great leap forward in growth, both technically and with song writing, moving towards a more complex and complete sound. For a second release, this album is nothing short of amazing. While most bands would be on shaky ground when releasing a new record, RAPTURE have taken the bull by the horns, and released a jaw dropping record which I believe sits firmly beside the works of OPETH and KATATONIA.

“Songs For The Withering” takes the core foundations used in “Futile”, and builds around them. I think it is safe to say that the “Brave Murder Day” style of RAPTURE is not a case of plagiarism, but it is quite simply the style with which RAPTURE choose to express their music. Where “Futile” showed us that expression, “Songs For The Withering” shows us what RAPTURE can do with that style as musicians.

The album starts off with “Nameless”, and after the first few opening bars, it becomes clear that we're in store for something very different. As soon as we hit the chorus, the weeping sorrow of Eskelinen’s vocals come in, and yes, it does sound reminiscent of OPETH's Mikael Akerfeldt circa “Still Life”, but utilisation of this dual vocal style is different from that of OPETH. Some would say it is almost like hearing earlier OPETH and KATATONIA combined. Where Jonas Renkse from KATATONIA sounds sometimes muffled, Villberg provides the kind of clarity you see on a crisp winter's morning just after a long rain the night before. Beautifully executed and great work.

When we arrive at the second track, “Gallows”, we're hit with a big reminder of KATATONIA's “Rainroom” from the “Brave Murder Day” album, but with a slightly more melodic influence. The chorus in this track is a dark emotional bridge of power, with Villberg’s deep growls of "you'll find me / at the gallows" echoing, resonating and thundering its way into infinite blackness, accompanied by the rumbling bass and trademark RAPTURE wall of guitars. It's an awesome display of dark gloomy power.

The production on this album goes a step further than that of “Futile”'s, and in some ways addresses what things “Futile” lacked: the drums have a fuller sound, and the vocals of both Eskelinen and Villberg have been levelled nicely to make them more audible through the wall of guitars (this was an issue for me in the case of “Futile”, as I sometimes found Eskelinen's growls to be inaudible).

As we wade further into the murky depths of this album, we come to the first example of what RAPTURE's emotional expression is capable of with their new line up, and they provide us with a very convincing result in “Two Dead Names”. Entirely sung with clean vocals by Eskelinen, his voice speaks of directionless sorrow, backed by the wall of Doomy guitars. Such a combination paints a beautiful and dark scene.

The addition of dual vocal options on this album is well utilised (but not over done), and coupled with the wall of guitars layered over acoustic guitars, gives the style a slightly different feel. Thumbs up to the band for experimenting with the tools they have acquired.

Twin guitar melodies in this record are apparent just as they were in “Futile”, but they seam into the surrounding track far more smoothly than before. The same goes for acoustic sections used, they are structured more tightly with the heavier parts of tracks, and I think that it's great that RAPTURE are learning how to harness this skill which only OPETH seem to have mastered so far.

The only gripe I have with their newer sound is the riffing on some of the tracks – at times, it’s too tight and fast, giving a slightly more funkier, almost Punkish sound which could almost be commercially friendly. I would like to have seen some slower riffing, as in my opinion, this gives a track a slightly darker and heavier feel, and also would have provided some variance on the tempo.

Nevertheless, fantastic moments on this album are plentiful: it's almost as if RAPTURE are a bunch of everyday metal fans who have sat down, gone through their entire collection of music, combined all the things they love from their favourite bands and then interpreted it through this record.

While “Futile” did not fail in many places as a debut album, it did show some areas which could be improved on. We can tell that RAPTURE have had a hard look at their critics and responded, with their own passions fuelling those responses. Their line up change seems to have matured their approach to their music, and when the album reaches it's melodically Doomy close in “Farewell”, we're left with impatience for wanting to know what RAPTURE will come up with next for their third offering (according to an interview I read, they guys are currently working on the third album).

“Songs For The Withering” is a fantastic album, which has almost everything you could ask for with a Doom/Melodic Death feel. Hands down, this is one of the best offerings of music I have heard across any genre for a number of years.

For a second album by a seemingly young line up, this is a blistering and very complete piece of work. The best part of that is knowing that RAPTURE are still young in terms of their career, and that it's highly possible their best work is yet to come. The band should pat themselves, they've obviously worked hard, and I think they have well and truly delivered.

The contenders to the throne of OPETH and KATATONIA have truly arrived, folks. Grab this album NOW. (Online July 9, 2004)