Cover Art by Kim Kupiainen (graphics) and Tatu Hanhikoski (design)

Style: Progressive Metal, Alternative Metal (Clean Vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Nightwish, Pain of Salvation, Pagan’s Mind, Persefone’s cinematic grandeur
Country: Finland
Release date: 31 October 2025

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NEW INSANE PROG BAND WITH A FEMALE VOCALIST? WILL THIS BE ALBUM OF THE YEAR? INSERT O-FACE HERE. YOU HAVE TEN MINUTES TO MAKE IT TO THE END OF THIS REVIEW AND SHARE IT WITH AT LEAST THREE OF YOUR FRIENDS BEFORE SOME NON-DESCRIPT FOR LEGAL REASONS HORRIBLE EVENT HAPPENS TO YOU.

First impressions are an important aspect of art, especially in the attention-span-starved landscape of the modern age. YouTube is perhaps the most pertinent example: a video’s success is often determined by its thumbnail, before anyone even watches the content. Music is beholden to a similar phenomenon—though to a lesser degree—where an album’s artwork can draw potential listeners in or turn them away. I am no exception, and my flittering attention span was momentarily captured by the graphics of As the World Tree Fell, the debut LP from Finnish progressive metal-ers Canvas of Silence. Can the music within continue to hold my attention? Well, I’m reviewing the album, so I don’t have much of a choice.

After a moody cinematic intro, opening track “Watching the World Tree Fall” barrels into a rager of a riff composed of string skipping syncopated accents mirrored by violin, before dropping into a low-tuned djent-adjacent alternative metal riff that leads into the main melody of the track. Over two minutes in, and my attention span has not wavered in the slightest; the musical first impression is even stronger than that provided by the artwork. I am reminded of the powerful rhythm guitar performances of so many of the Slaughter of the Soul-inspired alternative metal bands and the epic cinematic soundscaping of recent Persefone releases. These qualities continue to be Canvas of Silence’s saving grace as the weaker aspects of their sound begin to show themselves.

Two and a half minutes. This is how long my attention was held in the iron grip of As the World Tree Fell’s nascent guitar performance, and this is how long it took before Hanna Uimonen’s vocal performance began and repelled my attention as if being flung back by the shockwave of an explosion. Make no mistake, Uimonen is a technically proficient vocalist, but the way she crafts her melodies combined with the nasally, reedy timbre of her voice is an instant turnoff; the placement of the vocals in the mix only shines a spotlight on these wanting qualities. Sadly, the first impression Uimonen presents is bad enough to bring any of the momentum that “Watching the World Tree Fall” had built thus far to a screeching halt. An out-of-place marching snare pattern accompanies Uimonen’s introduction and builds into the first chorus of As the World Tree Fell, where Canvas of Silence inexplicably transform into a toothless pop metal band. The driving energy of the guitars is forcibly suppressed into flaccid vamping eighth note accompaniment chords; the strings outline some of the most boring, static harmony imaginable; and Uimonen squeals through the first of many vapid chorus melodies. 

In the promo notes for As the World Tree Fell, Canvas of Silence describe themselves as “catchy prog-influenced female vocal-driven metal”. More specifically, drummer Iiro Vuori describes the music as “prog-influenced chorus metal”, a description that is actively at odds with my listening experience. Each chorus is consistently the worst part of its respective song, almost always falling prey to insipid pop metal sensibilities and leaning far too heavily on Uimonen’s unbecoming vocal performance. “Anthem for Ashes” stands out as the worst chorus of the bunch: an awkward vocal rhythm is exacerbated by a truly baffling lyrical direction, with Uimonen singing “We ring around the roses, pockets full of posies, ashes, ashes, we’re all falling down”. No amount of storytelling or lyrical contextualizing can save such a trite line, especially when presented as the main melody for a song. 

Thankfully, “Drown” immediately kicks things back into high gear, the first two minutes being one of my favorite moments on As the World Tree Fell. Unfortunately, the momentum is once again cut short when Uimonen starts singing a horribly clashing melody that has nothing to do with any of the melodic setup in the song thus far. Such a back and forth is the main crux of Canvas of Silence’s current songwriting formula. High octane riffing and cinematic soundscapes build an excitement that immediately plummets off a ledge when some perplexing bridge or chorus homogenizes the sound into a boring, predictable pastiche. The good parts are strong enough to carry the music for a while, but by the time “Wayfarer” arrives towards the end of the album, the formula has been stretched so thin that the eight-plus-minute runtime kills any motivation left to listen, especially when it doesn’t offer any sort of exploration or novel structure to justify the track length.

First impressions aside, As the World Tree Fell is a frustrating listen. Canvas of Silence has a strikingly professional presentation for a debut release, and parts of their sound seem primed for a fast track to mainstream success. Regrettably, a conflicted songwriting ethos currently shackles the sound to mediocrity, but I don’t think it would take much to reorient the Finns towards making something truly noteworthy. For starters, Uimonen is credited for her vocal performance on As the World Tree Fell, but the current band line-up already has her replaced. As it stands, leaning into an even more cinematic and exploratory progressive ideology could launch the music into the same critically acclaimed stratosphere as groups like Persefone and Ne Obliviscaris. With some fine tuning and a focus on more intentional songwriting, Canvas of Silence has a clear path from a weak debut to whatever the opposite of a sophomore slump is.

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Recommended tracks: Watching the World Tree Fall, Drown, One With the Wind
You may also like: Delta, Scardust, Borealis
Final verdict: 4/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Rockshots Records

Canvas of Silence is:
– Hanna Uimonen (vocals)
– Tatu Hanhikoski (guitars, programming)
– Jaakko Puusaari (guitars, backing vocals)
– Mikael Minkkinen (bass)
– Iiro Vuori (drums)