Review Summary: Swedish Metallers get one step nearer to the big time with latest effort...
How on Earth Soilwork haven't achieved greater success is difficult to understand, especially when bands such as Bring Me The Horizon continue to pump out their detritus to adoring fans worldwide. This album is a defining point of what the band have become. The sound is stripped of the melodic death intonations of old, with the sound only uncovering itself in riffs and guitar solos. Otherwise, this album is a by-the-numbers modern Soilwork album. However, most importantly, this is an album filled with songs each with their own identity...
Whereas previous efforts such as Stabbing The Drama (which suffered from having one too many songs that were simply not that stunning) and Figure Number Five (which suffered from having too many songs that sounded the same), this album demonstrates an ability in the band to create music which is both varied but also familiar, like putting a pair of old shoes on after a long time. It's comfortable, but it's a fresh feeling.
The album opens on "Late For the Kill, Early for the Slaughter", which somehow manages to possess a chorus that is both melodic and crushing in equal measure. The song opens on striking guitar work and an ever present rumble of double bass pedal, which makes into Bjorn Stridd's usual bark. His vocals are slightly adapted here, much like Andres Friden on In Flames' latest effort, where he somehow manages to 'sing' whilst also 'screaming' at the same time. His vocals are rough around the edges as they should be, but melodic when the time calls for it. Two Lives Worth of Reckoning has the anthemic chorus that you expect from a Soilwork song, coupled with impressive musicianship once again. Whilst this and following song, The Thrill, follow a tried and tested formula, it is Deliverance Is Mine that brings about the next highlight of the album. The chorus is typically anthemic, and one can imagine a crowd hollering that chorus back at full volume. Let This River Flow demonstrates a new sound for Soilwork, and is the nearest the band has come to writing a ballad. This ballad works, however, firstly because Stridd has the vocals for it and secondly because Soilwork are not averse to melody. The clean singing evident on this album is something that was developing in their sound since the Natural Born Chaos album, and this seems like a natural change for the band considering where their sound was going. Epitomy is another highlight, demonstrating harmony once again and a truly memorable chorus.
And that's what this album does so well- melody. The choruses are not as catchy as some of the previous works of the band, but the musicianship and overall structure of the songs are more thrilling than before. Another point to raise is that, whilst other Swedish bands such as In Flames seem to have sold their metallic integrity entirely (on latest album A Sense of Purpose), Soilwork have remembered their roots and have created at album that embraces what their sound has come to define. Although they seem settled in their sound now, unlike Killswitch Engage, they don't seem to be out of ideas and their albums still sound fresh. It's nothing groundbreaking, but it's new enough that the tunes won't leave your head for a long time after listening.
The negatives to this album are few but are noticeable. At times, songs seem to lose their way. Some of the better songs on this album would have been better if they were held together but more memorable riff work. There are a few moments, throughout the last few songs, where Soilwork seem to lose their way a little. The musician is impressive but the song just gets dull, such as in the introduction to Enter Dog of Pavlov. It's long, drawn out, and whilst no doubt an example of quality musical creation, it does tend to cause the closing song on the album to drag slightly.
Despite this, there's more than enough promise on this album. It's a body of work that keeps to the same blueprint but has enough originality to offer to the fans of the band. For a band with the history and legacy of Soilwork, it's impressive to see that one of their best albums has come so late into their career. There's life in the Swedish Metallers yet!
