Review Summary: With a bit more experience My Own Grave could probably develop into something huge. But at the moment they still remain in the ''above generic'' corner.
Will the creativity and innovation of the human mind stop somewhere in a near future? I have been thinking, will there always been bands that have a original sound of their own or will there always be these so-called clones or rip-offs? I recently discovered a band thanks to a radio program and every time I listen to them I hear at least three other bands that sounds similar to these guys. The bands I’m thinking of are Torchbearer, Dark Tranquillity and De Lirium’s Order. My Own Grave is the name of this fairly new band that has entered the Swedish metal scene. They play a vicious and intense style of melodic death/thrash with small hints of black metal. With one album (Unleash) and an EP (Unholy) they are slowly moving forward in a possible metal future. But does this band add something new to the metal scene?
Their debut album Unleash shows that these guys have potential even though that most of the crew members have never played in other bands. Since this is melodic death/thrash you can’t expect any fancy song writing or song variety. Most tracks are pretty intense and aggressive but a large amount of melody increases the chance of liking the songs though. Their music could be compared to other Swedish bands that also play extreme melodic metal. Torchbearer and Dark Tranquillity would be two good examples. Take the black and thrash metal ingredients from Torchbearer and mix it with the death metal melodies from Dark Tranquillity. This is the best way that I can describe My Own Grave’s music.
There are still lots of good stuff in this album even though that My Own Grave might sound like a generic band. First of all, they possess great guitarists and a great singer (or screamer/growler). Most of the guitar work is very intriguing because of the excellent use of different riff patterns from three different metal genres. We have the chugging, rhythmic and catchy riffs from thrash. There is fast picked yet heavy and dark ‘’death riffs’’, and at last there are eerie and skilfully played tremolo picking patterns. The singer really highlights the album with sharp and loud screams that are also combined with deep yet high-pitched growls. This album is also very easy to enjoy because most tracks are around 2:30 minutes, this makes the songs very easy to digest and you will remember the tracks quite fast as well.
The flaws in this album are few but there are at least two things that bother me. The first thing would be the screams, or even the whole vocal performance. The vocals are not horribly performed but the screams seem to slightly fade because of the instruments, the growls still manages to force their way through the wall of sound but the screams fails a bit. But, if you listen to this album for a long period of time you will probably get tired of all the screaming, the best way to enjoy this album is to listen to it a little now and then. But if you like directly from the start then please listen to it as much as you want. The second thing would be the tracks themselves because there are few standouts. All the tracks stay within the area of being really good but not extremely good so to say. A typical track from this album starts with a very intense intro and near the end the pace is lowered and the instruments get more rhythmic and catchy. I like the tracks very much though, but people who want lots of variety/diversity might get a bit disappointed by this album.
And so to the main question. Is it worth to check out these guys? Of course! If you like melodic extreme metal (especially metal from Scandinavia) you will definitely like My Own Grave. This album has lots of energy, heaviness, aggression, brutality and melody. Fans of Dark Tranquillity, Torchbearer and De Lirium’s Order should check this out. And you who like melodic death metal and death/thrash should also give My Own Grave a chance.
Positives
+ Excellent musicianship in every aspect, like sound and performance
+ Great vocal performance (especially the growls)
+ Great song lengths
+ Very energetic and somewhat refreshing material
Negatives
- The screaming will get tedious if you listen to the album too much
- The album is slightly repetitive
- A small minus for a lousy album cover
- The band is just above the generic level
Recommended Tracks
-- From The Asshes
-- Theme From The Dead
-- Where Carnage Reigns
-- Sheltered By Inferno
Final rating: 3.5/5
