Few countries can boast of a heavy metal scene as thriving and incestuous as Finland's, whose leading lights throughout the '90s (Amorphis and Sentenced, to name but a few) have now opened the door to any number of mutually collaborating side projects and sometime super-groups exploring all sorts of extreme metal genres.

Rapture is just such a band, and given its various musicians' solid pedigree and vast experience leading other acts, it's not at all surprising to discover that their first effort, Futile, is a highly accomplished and focused affair -- the likes of which could easily be confused for a legitimate release by a full-going concern of a band.

Recorded in 1999, but only released internationally two years later, this fine record is rooted in the very influential doom/death sound of early Paradise Lost, but also takes in the paradoxically melodic style made famous by the neighboring scene in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The resulting sound is both surprisingly musical and unapologetically heavy, with acoustic guitars, keyboards, and string effects gracefully framing the ruthless dual six-string assault of outstanding songs like the title track, "To Forget," and "The Fall." Singer Petri Eskelinen's throaty delivery is especially reminiscent of Opeth's Mikael Akerfeldt, and when combined with alternating clean singing passages, his bleak, longing lyrical tapestries are perfectly fitting with the band's mournful melodies and crisp, driving riffs.

These culminate with startling success in the harmonious beauty of album highlight "Someone I (Don't) Know." A recommended release for fans of inventive heavy metal.