Totem Skin
Weltschmerz


4.5
superb

Review

by Scoot USER (47 Reviews)
October 14th, 2015 | 196 replies


Release Date: 2015 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Deranged, feral and bloodthirsty - Weltschmerz is a beast of an album that deserves a spot on many year end lists.

Over the past few years, more and more hardcore bands have started infusing black metal and sludge influences into their music. The result is a mixture of punk-inspired riffs with low end crunch and ferocious, throat-shredding vocals. 2013 saw Sweden’s Totem Skin emerge from the pack with Still Waters Run Deep, a thirty-six minute collection of bludgeoning songs with a general theme of loneliness and isolation. The album made some noise in the hardcore community and built a foundation on which the quintet could develop going forward. 2015’s Weltschmerz has seen the band take that groundwork and expand on its predecessor’s vision, delivering thirty-four minutes of some of the heaviest and most chaotic music of the year.

While their Converge influence is no doubt prevalent, Totem Skin have done their best to borrow ideas from the legendary group without sounding like a direct copy. Amidst the album’s thirty-four minutes of breakneck riffs and blistering drum fills are several areas of drawn-out buildups and clean breaks, leading to a complete listening experience. The band’s Swedish influence is also notable; many of these riffs would not sound out of place on some of melodic death metal’s most classic albums. One of the most immediate aspects of Weltschmerz is its production, which manages to sound both incredibly clean while still maintaining a sludgy undertone. The overall atmosphere of the seven tracks is enveloping and immense from start to finish, culminating in the near-nine minute finale “I De Blindas Rike Ar Den Enogde Kung” that builds up from a brooding start into an all-out bloodbath.

It will certainly be interesting to see where Totem Skin take their sound from here. Their young careers have gotten off to a tremendous start, with two excellent albums right out of the gate and very little growing pains in the way of songwriting. For a band that hasn’t had a lot of time to grow into their own sound, they are as refined and fluid as a group that has been around for years. Time will tell if they are able to continue to progress, but they are heading in a direction that will see them at the forefront of the hardcore scene sooner than later. Weltschmerz is one of the heaviest albums of the last ten months and deserves a spot on many year end lists as we head into the closing quarter of 2015.



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user ratings (208)
3.9
excellent


Comments:Add a Comment 
Scoot
October 14th 2015


22714 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

first review in a while



sup guys

brainmelter
Contributing Reviewer
October 14th 2015


8416 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

yeahs, this band is sic

Archelirion
October 14th 2015


6594 Comments


Album is a monster, top 5 for me certainly this year. Great review btw, pos'd.

Scoot
October 14th 2015


22714 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

shanks



yeah this is one of the best of the year for sure

FearThyEvil
October 14th 2015


18806 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

My friend showed me these guys and I can not stop listening to it.

deathschool
October 14th 2015


28936 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Holy fuck, this is a powerhouse. The tone is perfect too. Every instrument sounds so good.

Jots
Emeritus
October 14th 2015


7584 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

checked this a couple days ago and wasn't feelin at all but i'll peep this review anyhoo

Jots
Emeritus
October 14th 2015


7584 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

(edit: fixed)

review is tight and compact, good way to be. coulda referenced a couple more specific standout moments tho I think

Ashen
October 15th 2015


1543 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

it jams for sure but i wish it was a little less polished. how does their previous stuff sound compared to this??

deathschool
October 15th 2015


28936 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Their selfie EP is significantly rawer. You may prefer it. Idk about their other LP.

Ashen
October 15th 2015


1543 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

cheers, i'll check it



great review btw scoot

cvlts
October 15th 2015


9943 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Man, been hearing a lot of buzz about this release. Spotify only has their first album so haven't been able to listen yet but just waiting for a US vinyl release

Ashen
October 15th 2015


1543 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

i really dig the sound of their s/t EP

Ashen
October 15th 2015


1543 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

must say i'm a fan of their style with the cover artwork too

deathschool
October 15th 2015


28936 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

This is on bandcamp, cvlts.

CrimsonLies
October 15th 2015


2579 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Awesome album

Artuma
October 15th 2015


32790 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

nice rev will czech

ComeToDaddy
October 15th 2015


1851 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Haven't gotten onto this yet, but been jamming their debut a bunch since I found out so I'm pretty excited for it. That album art is sublime

loveisamixtape
October 15th 2015


12415 Comments


this sounds cool. good review

Dinosaur
October 15th 2015


1375 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

think you overplay the converge influence a fair bit since i would never have really pegged this as being overtly converge influenced [2].



I'd say more Majority Rule.



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