Omnium Gatherum's 'May the Bridges We Burn Light the Way' - Album Review

It feels strange to be sitting down to write something which is not either a concert review nor connected in some way to power metal. I have been lucky to get a large number of gigs over the past few months - whilst new albums have come thick and fast. Clearly I have not exclusively been reviewing power metal albums, there just seems to have been a glut of them of late, and there is not likely to be a huge amount more power metal coverage this year - although I am seeing Sabaton live this coming weekend. Today, then, we turn away from both gigs and power metal to cover a melodic death metal album from a band that, until recently, I was not hugely familiar with. Finland's Omnium Gatherum, who have been around since 1996, are a band that I heard about a long time ago - but who I only properly checked out earlier this year. I have been aware of Omnium Gatherum's guitarist and driving force Markus Vanhala for a while due to his association with another Finish melodic death metal band Insomnium, who I am marginally more familiar with, but I truly started to take notice of him properly last year when I reviewed Nordic Gothic (which can be read here) - the debut album by the gothic rock/metal supergroup Cemetery Skylines. Whilst the album felt largely like a vehicle for legendary melodic death metal figure Mikael Stanne to showcase his clean vocals - Vanhala was one of the main songwriters, co-writing half of the album with Stanne, alongside being the band's sole guitar player. Given how much I enjoyed Nordic Gothic, and how I was already familiar with most of Stanne's work as well as other main songwriter Santeri Kallio due to his work with Amorphis, I felt that it was time to properly check out Vanhala and his wider catalogue. I have been listening to some of Insomnium's more recent albums of late, then, and I also picked up Omnium Gatherum's 2021 release Origin. When it comes to melodic death metal, with the exception of the genre-defying mavericks Children of Bodom, I tend to prefer the sound which comes from Sweden rather than the one which comes from Finland. This might be strange given how much I tend to like the Finnish metal scene, but Finnish melodic death metal tends to be much gloomier and atmospheric than the more hard-driving, upbeat, and NWOBHM-influenced Swedish sound. I am generally a bit less familiar with the Finnish scene - and find it a little more ponderous and closer in tone to genuine extreme metal at times thanks to some black metal-adjacent atmospherics and vocalists which are often closer to true death metal. That being said, I have been enjoying my early forays into both Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum. I actually saw the former many years ago opening for Paradise Lost - but Omnium Gatherum are the focus of today's review, as their tenth studio album May the Bridges We Burn Light the Way was released last month. It is the band's first album since Origin and their second with their current, slimmed-down five-piece line-up. Vanhala is the only original member left at this point - but both frontman Jukka Pelkonen and keyboard player Aapo Koivisto have been in the band for around 20 years at this point. The rhythm section of bassist Mikko Kivistö and drummer Atte Pesonen is fairly new, though, with this latest album their second outing with the band. Vanhala, who has often had a guitar partner, handles nearly all of the guitars here - although former member Joonas Koto, who has been playing live with the band again of late, contributes a few guitar solos.

Compared to Origin, which was big and brooding in classic Finnish melodic death metal fashion, May the Bridges We Burn Light the Way feels deliberately more bite-sized. The album is on the short side, and there are no real lengthy pieces here - with hooky melodies throughout, and a more uplifting, keyboard-driven atmosphere compared to the murk which often characterises this kind of music. The opening instrumental title track sets this tone from the off, with Koivisto's sci-fi synths slowly bubbling into view as the album gets going - before a rhythmic groove-backed riff takes over. The synths continue to sparkle away in the background, whilst the grinding riffing does its thing in the foreground - whilst melodic guitar and synth tandem melodies often burst through, adding some early hooks and speed. There is almost a prog metal feel to some of these unison runs, but the core melodic death metal sound is retained - even if the opening of My Pain includes some similar neo-classical shredded melodies from Vanhala. The song overall, though, is a great representation of the hooky sound the band are going for here. Early on a spacey synth melody is utilised as the song gets going proper, which later resurfaces during the soaring chorus, whilst Pelkonen is introduced for the first time during a propelling verse - which is backed by by a barrelling riff, plenty of double bass drumming, and a bed of synths. The chorus, which sees a bigger keyboard presence in terms of melody, even if later renditions also include guitar hooks, is one of the album's most memorable moments - with Pelkonen's deep growled vocals sounding powerful against the synth hooks, before Vanhala adds some dreamy clean vocals. Omnium Gatherum have used clean vocals before, but I am under the impression that this is the first time that Vanhala has been responsible for them - with former band members previously contributing such. The combination of harsh and clean vocals works during the hooky chorus, though, even if the clean vocals are more atmospheric than powerful - whilst Vanhala showcases where his real talent lies during a lengthy guitar solo section which is full of shredded parts and more progressive, controlled moments. The synth melodies which have come in and out throughout the song also weave their way into the guitar solo section, which adds to that prog metal feel, whilst the final chorus doubles down on the smooth melodies of previous renditions - before the song closes out with a furious shredded guitar motif. The Last Hero opens with a flashy synth melody, before a chugging guitar pattern kicks in - and the song slowly builds around it, the guitar melodies getting more complex and the drumming getting more intense. This slow-burn of an intro works well, though, especially as when the first verse kicks in the heaviness of the band is really shown - with plenty of fast double bass drumming and some venomous riffing. There is little of the last song's melody in the verses here, despite the occasional guitar flourish and the synth bed, and there are moments of genuine extreme metal - but the chorus changes things. Whilst not as overtly hooky as the last song's chorus - Pelkonen's harsh vocals feel anthemic atop a hookier and hard-driving riff. A later bridge section is more melodic, too, as it kicks off with a brief Vanhala solo before synth melodies drive the riffing behind the vocals. Koto's first solo follows this bridge - and it is furious and fast-paced.

The Darkest City does not open with synths as the previous songs have done, with a mid-paced riff taking over right away - hinting at a more mid-paced arrangement which does not immediately follow. It seems as if the song is going to be a groovier piece, but fast drumming soon kicks in - with the rhythm section propelling things whilst faster chugging guitars sit above the retained groovy riff. The vibes are quite mixed early on, then, but a spacey section soon follows, with a synth and guitar melody which later forms part of the song's chorus. All of this is packed in before the vocals kick in - and once Pelkonen starts growling the threatened mid-paced groove does indeed take hold. The bass drumming is still quite fast, but the riffing maintains the groove - whilst a drum barrage later heralds that aforementioned chorus which sees that heroic synth melody kick back in, as well as Vanhala and Pelkonen trading clean and harsh vocals. The clean vocals tend to dominate the chorus, and there is plenty of melody to be found as a result, whilst Vanhala's later spacey guitar solo continues on the overall chorus vibes with some soaring and slow burning melodies set against some intense synths. Walking Ghost Phase then returns to something more overtly heavy, particularly given the last song's slow-burning outro, although it is also anthemic and hooky throughout. The synths take a bit of a backseat here, at least from a lead perspective. There is still plenty of atmospheric depth, but this is very much a guitar-driven song. Kivistö does make his presence felt during the verses, though, which are very bass-driven - and these verses are some of the most stripped back moments on the whole album. They contrast the bigger guitar arrangements elsewhere, then, as the rest of the song is full of guitar melodies. The riffing is solid here, but this is very much a song for lead guitar lovers - as Vanhala fills much of the song with hooky melodies. The chorus, which also features some gang vocals to shout along to, is filled with hooky guitar melodies, as well as some rare synth counter-melodies in this song, whilst a later solo section is high-octane and shreddy. The big, fists-in-the-air chorus and the focus on guitar melodies makes the song standout from the crowd - and it has become a favourite of mine. Ignite the Flame returns to the more expansive, synth-heavy sound which has largely characterised the album up to this point. The song's intro is quite lengthy, opening with some guitar melodies but later dominated by some synths and a dense atmosphere, whilst the contrast between heaviness and atmosphere is once again on full display. The later chorus is a full-on atmospheric feast, with sparkling and pleasing synths backing Pelkonen's heroic-sounding growls alongside some more guitar melodies, whilst the verses are much heavier - with fast-paced thrashy riffing and more gang vocals at opportune moments. The contrast between the two main sections of the song allows the different sides of the band's core sound to shine, then, whilst a later guitar solo section sees Vanhala and Koto trading speedy licks back and forth - whilst some intense drumming rattles away beneath them.

Streets of Rage opens with another groovy, mid-paced riff which sets a headbanging tone - and, once again, Vanhala lays down a tight guitar melody over the top. There is a big focus on spacey, soaring guitar melodies throughout this album - with this cut really showcasing such. As was the case with the previous song, though, this is a song of contrasts. The verses are, again, on the heavy side. There is a strong bass presence in the mix during the grinding verses - with the growled vocals and the somewhat faster pace allowing for a typical melodic death metal feel. The chorus is another very hooky, moment, though, with similar guitar leads from the intro returning - and the synths being utilised to their fullest extent. The guitar solo section is perhaps the hookiest on the album, too, as Vanhala does not lay into his instrument and shred - instead building on some of the melodies used elsewhere to lay down some really melodic hooks in a more long-form manner. The last vocal-led song here is Barricades, a faster song which opens with some high-octane neo-classical guitar melodies - which are backed by some suitably fast drum fills. This intro is quite prog metal in its overall vibe, thanks to the busy guitar melodies and drumming, and overall this song does feel a bit more intense and complex. There are certainly some heavier moments here, but the prog metal sound seems to dominate overall. Vanhala's guitar playing is always doing something interesting here. He rarely just chugs along on this one - instead going for intricate riffing and melody lines throughout - throwing plenty of notes into the track whilst Pesonen's frantic drumming helps to keep all of these riffs and melodies feeling furious. The chorus feels a bit more controlled than the high-octane nature of the rest of the song, but Pelkonen's vocals are still backed by plenty of guitar melodies to ensure that the hooks remain - whilst Koto and Vanhala later trade off again during another guitar solo section which is suitably fast-paced and full of notes given the prog vibes throughout the rest of the piece. Given the more atmospheric vibe of the rest of the album, despite the plethora of strong riffs and hooky melodies, it is fitting that the closing vocal-led song here is a bit more intricate and bombastic - with Vanhala really showing his worth as a guitarist and songwriter here, including plenty of hooks around his intense riffing and guitar pyrotechnics. The album then comes to a close with the instrumental Road Closed Ahead, which is largely an atmospheric piece that builds on many of those tropes from throughout the album. The synths of Koivisto really come to the fore here. Vanhala does, of course, lay down some guitar leads throughout - but overall this feels like more of a keyboard-led piece. The grooves from the guitars and the rhythm section are quite hypnotic, and this allows Koivisto to do his thing above the riffing - and the synth swells and melodies are quite soundtrack-esque at times. The song has that feeling overall, and it is less intense than the opening instrumental piece - even if there are still plenty of metallic and chugging moments. It is a fairly sparse closing statement, though, but it does contrast nicely with the busier track which came before. Given that May the Bridges We Burn Light the Way is my first true Omnium Gatherum experience, I have really been enjoying it over the past month. It is a different-sounding melodic death metal album to what I am used to, but the hooks are plentiful and the guitar playing throughout from Vanhala is excellent. This is clearly a band that I need to take more notice of, and I intend to pick up some of their older albums in due course. The bite-sized nature helps, and this is an album I can see myself coming back to fairly often.

The album was released on 7th November 2025 via Century Media Records. Below is the band's promotional video for My Pain.