IV

IV is the fourth album, on which To/Die/For drew gothic metal's shadows around dark guitar, low rhythm and sorrow-tinged vocals. In 2004 the departed Jape Perätalo and his band Tiaga took over the To/Die/For name, and this record followed in 2005. The title simply signals that it's their fourth. The songs don't lean on weight alone; memorable melody is placed in the choruses. It's also a record that made listeners confirm again that Perätalo's voice is this band's core. Each time it moves from a quiet passage into heavy drive, the sense of loss and the drama deepen. From the opener “Autumn Forever” through “This World Is Made for Me,” “Lies (For Fools),” the single “New Year's Day,” “Chaotic Me,” “Little Deaths,” “Fragmented,” “Endlessly” and the closing “Last Breath,” a cold lyricism holds throughout. Coming after the confusion over the band name, the firmness shown here is striking. A satisfying record that binds Nordic coldness to a melodic sense.