Steelbath Suicide

by

Soilwork

Edit

Soilwork have proven themselves worthy of carrying the torch of Gothenburg metal. They do it VERY well, too. Although they sound a lot like At The Gates on this release, who the hell cares? That's not necessarily a bad thing at all. They are incredibly heavy but they still manage to hold good melody. The opening instrumental, "Entering The Angel Diabolique," is a great introduction to the band that foreshadows the coming greatness. They establish themselves well by proving that they can conjure great headbanging riffs and infectious solos. The album then goes into full blast on "Sadistic Lullabye." This album is indeed a GREAT buy for any fan of melodic death metal or those who enjoy the Gothenburg sounds of bands like At The Gates, In Flames, etc.

Some highlights:

Entering The Angel Diabolique: Although rather brief, the opening instrumental is unbelievable. It features great melodic lines from Svartz and Wichers, and just mad cool riffs.

Sadistic Lullabye: Soilwork reveal another face of their vicious metal attack by speeding things up a bit. Again, great melodic lines and thrashy riffs make this song one of the best the CD has to offer.

Skin After Skin: This song has an interesting structure and also features cool harmonized parts throughout. The speed is there, but it varies to avoid monotony. Cool riffs, cool chorus, as always. One of my faves.

Steelbath Suicide: Soilwork offer their ode to the metal bands of the 80's. The result is one of the best songs on the album. Awesome riffs, great solos.

Razor Lives: One of the best songs on the album. There's not much more to say, it just rules. All the Soilwork trademarks are there (speed, melody, etc.).

Overall, "Steelbath Suicide" is a fantastic album that carries the Gothenburg torch well and makes a seemless transition into the post-At The Gates era. Buy this now, metalheads.