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""Verkligheten" is a steamroller, an armored monster of technique and devastating raw power"
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3/5
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Soilwork has been part of the Swedish metal scene since 1995, which gives the Helsingborg natives the status of a major formation in the style. On the eve of the release of the Scandinavian combo's eleventh album, "Verkligheten" already has little left to prove, as the place of its progenitors is so well established.
For the band, this new album is synonymous with innovation. The name of the opus means "reality" in Swedish. The melodic death formation tries through this title to express its will to escape from its situation to experiment new horizons. The singer and now the only founding member of the sextet, Björn "Speed" Strid, even says of this "Verkligheten" that it would perhaps be "the darkest and most epic album to date in Soilwork's career".
The strong man in the group couldn't say it so well. The disc presents the advantages that are generally attributed to the Swedes: ultra-fast and technical guitars, wild solos, vocals that are sometimes howled, sometimes clear, but always very powerful and appropriate. Dirk Verbeuren, former drummer of the band who left to join Megadeth in 2016, has since been replaced by Bastian Thusgaard, and it must be said that the musician, despite his young age, is awesome. His explosive blast beats and his surgical precision game will delight the band's fans.
Once the short introduction, both mysterious and calm, is over, the hostilities begin with 'Arrival', one of the singles on the album, in a melodic death style. The other single "Full Moon Shoals" also stands out with its melodic riff. In this tortuous ocean of wild violence, the atmospheric verses bring a fleeting appeasement before a well-found radio-friendly chorus, making the title a well-designed piece.
"Verkligheten" is finally like Soilwork: a super-powerful and well-oiled machine, impressive in its technical mastery, a titan crushing everything in its path. But it is a pity that the sound is so rough. The emphasis being on pure power ('The Nurturing Glance','Witan') and technique ('Needles And Kin'), compositions can sometimes lack nuances and thus introduce a certain tiredness.
Some tracks try to calm down the ambient fury as the peaceful and melodic intro of 'The Ageless Whisper', but these sections remain rare enough. Similarly, when you listen to the album as a whole, the way of composing being quite similar from one track to another,it is difficult to really bring out one song among the others.
This eleventh opus is nevertheless a good album where many tracks could be singles because of their direct side that should have a massive impact on the stage. With such an implacable recipe, such impressive technique and such a clean finish, there is no doubt that Soilwork still has a bright future ahead of it. - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
01. Verkligheten
02. Arrival
03. Bleeder Despoiler
04. Full Moon Shoals
05. The Nurturing Glance
06. When The Universe Spoke
07. Stålfågel (feat. Alissa White-gluz)
08. The Wolves Are Back In Town
09. Witan
10. The Ageless Whisper
11. Needles And Kin
12. You Aquiver
LINEUP:
Bastian Thusgaard: Batterie
Björn "Speed" Strid: Chant
David Andersson: Guitares
Sven Karlsson: Claviers
Sylvain Coudret : Guitares
Dave Sheldon: Guitares / Invité
Tomi Joutsen: Chant / Invité
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(0) MIND(S) FROM OUR READERS
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(0) COMMENT(S)
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READERS
4.5/5 (2 view(s))
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STAFF:
3.7/5 (3 view(s))
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IN RELATION WITH SOILWORK
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