Words Of Farewell is a young band in the melodeath scene, forming in Germany in 2006, and after releasing a demo and an EP, have finally come out with Immersion, their first full-length album on AFM Records. These guys are clearly fans of the rougher and doomier side of melodeath, with much of their material resembling early Insomnium. It's a very decent first effort from these guys and their album, while not groundbreaking in any way, is solid and enjoyable to listen to.

Words Of Farewell starts the album off right with the Insomnium-esque Project: Daybreak. It has that melancholy lead and riffing structure that is familiar to all melodeath fans. The low growls of frontman and lead guitarist Erik Gaßmus remain pretty consistent throughout the album, and the music on this first track definitely gives a good overview of what these guys are about and what they can do from a technical standpoint, with the guitars being the most impressive. Overall the song is put together well, even though it borrows much of its feeling and atmosphere from past melodeath acts. The first song that really caught my attention on this album is the excellent End Of Transmission. It has an upbeat lead and shows a lighter side to the band. The keyboards and guitars work together very nicely even if it is a bit poppy. The Great Escape has some faster riffing and a more complex structure. The soloing is excellent once again, both in the guitar and keyboard departments. So far I think the keyboards of Leo Wichmann definitely add something to the sound, especially when they are used as something more than just an accompaniment to the guitars as they are in this track where they play a major role. Urban Panorama doesn't really grab me, feels too generic and samey, and I'm sure that some will feel that this album begins to lose its appeal after a few spins due to the overall lack of diversity in the song structures, but I would argue that the consistency is something that is quite important, especially for a young band. Sure they probably could have cut a couple songs from this album, but it's a minor complaint. Sorae starts off interesting with the synths and then heavy riffs that get faster as the song goes on. It's not a very complicated song, but it does all that is necessary to draw the listener in with intense energy and emotion. Sundown Serenade closes the album out nicely, providing a softer, yet still intense and heavy atmosphere.

On the whole, I liked Immersion. I wasn't sure if I would when I first heard it, but as I listened more I could really hear that these guys are genuinely skilled musicians that have put a lot of time and attention to detail into this, and they obviously know what's out there and what has been popular in melodeath over the past decade. On top of that, even after listening to it repeatedly, there are only a few tracks that I skip. I like that these guys have no fear of doing what has already been done in melodeath, yet still manage to create great music. There are plenty of melodic guitar leads and solos, the double bass drumming, and yet there is still a sense of the death metal aggression and tension. It's a solid debut effort from this young band, here's to hoping they are successful.