at the gates

Melodeath Supergroup BERZERKER LEGION Review 2023

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Berzerker Legion 2023

The Swedish Melodeath Supergroup presents to be a new force to be reckoned with in 2023 with new hard hitting record “Chaos Will Reign”. This may be the heaviest album I’ve reviewed so far this year and vastly impressed me. I hadn’t listened to these guys but a couple times so I came in to this review pretty much blind. The lead songwriter sent comments and an introduction to the album that intrigued me.

BERZERKER LEGION was founded in 2016 by guitarists Tomas Elofsson (Hypocrisy) and Alwin Zuur (Asphyx) with a vision to create death metal of the most belligerent quality, they recruited a line-up of solid well-known musicians consisting of James Stewart (Vader) on drums, Jonny Pettersson (Wombbath) on vocals and Fredrik Isaksson (Dark Funeral) on bass to complete the Legion.

Alwin Zuur (guitars/songwriter) comments: “During the recent years Tomas and I met each other at shows and festivals regularly. Much of our conversations were about music and styles. During these meetings we found out that we really had a lot of common musical interests.”

“Music wise our debut album ‘Obliterate the Weak’ displays the perfect balance between brutality, melody and harmony. Being a fan of the early 90’s Swedish Gothenburg style, with bands like At The Gates, Eucharist, A Canorous Quintet, as well as being a die-hard fan of brutal old school death metal style with bands like Bolt Thrower, Obituary, I have always wanted to write songs showing a mix of such different death metal genres.

With our new album “Chaos Will Reign” we have further developed ourselves in our typical musical mix of melody and brutality. “Chaos Will Reign” sounds more professional, complete, massive and powerful thanks to Jonas Kjellgren’s production . It has become the logical successor, a huge step forward compared to our debut album “Obliterate the Weak”.”

“Chaos Will Reign” is a sonic blast of 90’s Death Metal and Extreme elements that settle into a speedy groove. This album is an assault on the senses and delivers pounding tracks time after time with clinical beats and extended range Death Growls. This album vastly foreshadows the last album in production quality and modernity that falls in line with more popular sounds in Death Metal today. It is as if Amon Amarth, At the Gates, and Devildriver had a speedy baby. The riffs are chuggy, fast, and groovy switching it up from track to track to add flair and variation. The aggression and desperation of battle drip through this record. My favorite track “Choirs of Anguish” is 90’s Metal to the T with modern speed and pummeling instrumentation. There is a great at least 8 second vocal fry scream on this that stunned me. Pettersson’s range is staggeringly good and can go toe to toe with the young guns in Extreme vocals. The solo is surprisingly melodic and just tasty. There’s also Fleshgod-like orchestration underneath that I absolutely love. Any music that makes me feel like the Gates of Hell are opening for celestial war is going to stick with me, and this whole album just has that feel. The whole album is just really well composed and flows expertly. These guys know what they are doing with this genre. As a drummer, I find the drums to be absolute perfection to the highest level of technicality and speed without losing the raw sound of Death Metal drums. They just do not stop and are a force of nature on “Chaos Will Reign”. There is something so nostalgic throughout this record. Some of the songs have groovier parts in the guitars while keeping complete aggression that reminds me of Pantera. It’s just a great sound that keeps you coming back for more.

This is one of my favorite Death Metal albums of the year by far, and I can’t wait for everyone to positively experience this album as I have. I am not the biggest Death Metal fan, but this album has inspired me to seek out more bands like Berzerker Legion. I am super impressed by this band and would love to experience this music live. I highly recommend this album for fans of Cattle Decapitation, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Dimmu Borgir, and Melodeath in general.

Rating: 9/10

Comes out October 27., 2023 via Listenable Records

Foregone by In Flames Review

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I am a huge fan of all bands Melodeath; From Dark Tranquility, In Mourning, Arch Enemy, Omnium Gatherum, and all bands alike, I cannot get enough of this dichotomy of music. The chugging guitars, brutal screams, blast beats, all broken up by melodic singing and beautiful guitars just hit me soul deep. It took seeing In Flames live in 2019 to fully understand their impact on this growing genre. I had never listened to them, assuming they were hard on my ears like At The Gates, but seeing them live absolutely blew all my expectations away. This band is anything but hard on the ears. This band is a masterclass in Melodeath composition. Recently, the band has taken the more Melodic elements as well as sick riffs and made them even more catchy. The criticism of the band “changing their sound” has been a hot topic since album “Sirens” and has ultimately but stupidly hurt the band’s credibility in the world of Melodeath. For me, new In Flames is more than just them trying to get more radio play or new fans, it is a testament to the band’s resilience and ingenuity. They took this quintessential sound and brought to to modernity and kept it absolutely mature, heavy, and absolutely unique.

In Flames has blended their old Thrashy sound with new and fresh Melodeath luster and turned it into an absolute masterpiece with 2023 release “Foregone”. This is a youthful yet profound venture for the band, not compromising quality for emotional depth. Anders Friden repeatedly shows his range and depth on songs like “Pure Light of Mind”, “Meet Your Maker” and both parts of the title track. This man took a vocal blowout and completely reinvented himself into one of the greatest dual voice front men of all time. This album is a complete testament to this band’s tenacity to not give up or give into the defeating aspects of the music business. While there’s so many new qualities, they manage to throw us back to old In Flames with searing tracks like “The Great Deceiver” and “State of Slow Decay”. They flawlessly blend old influences of Hardcore Punk and Thrash with modern Melodeath dual track guitars. It is an all encompassing sound that works so well in an arena setting. They’ve always been a heavy band you can sing along to, but every song on this album seems to stick with me. “In The Dark” is a perfect example of heavy ear worms on this record. Lyrically, this album is one of the most profound since “Clayman”. Riff wise, this may be the most full album they’ve ever put out. Bjorn and legendary Chris Broderick are relentless on Foregone. Tanner Wayne is an absolute beast on drums, holding everything together even when it seems so chaotic. The chemistry of this band is what makes this album musically perfect. Plus, the bass solos on Cynosure are deliciously interesting and tastefully done, making it impossible not to headbang. Every beat, every note, every bend is so synchronized that it feels computer generated without being over produced. “Foregone” is another new age Melodeath hit and deserves every positive recognition it can get.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Fall Death Metal Highlights

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Fall of 2014 has entailed an assault of highly anticipated Death Metal releases.  Compared to the whole of 2014, this fall has become extremely heavy with new pounding releases.  There’s anything from Black Metal, Gothenburg and Swedecore, to Theatrical Death metal, making for many tastes to choose from.  Below is some of the highlighted releases for Death Metal and simple reviews to give an insight of what to pick up at your record store.  I will include less mainstream releases in deeper reviews later.

 

Cavalera Conspiracy

 

The Thrash Metal band brought to fame by the talented and hardcore Cavalera brothers, is back in 2014 with Pandemonium.  The band is prized for taking Thrash Metal and making it even more extreme, fast, and technical.  With their albums you expect high intensity, demonized lyrics, and an assault of drums and guitars.  The brothers have created their own brand of metal that has become extremely popular in America.  Their previous albums Inflikted and Blunt Force Trauma were scorching with fast and grinding riffs and intense vocals, mixing energy and thrashing with technicality.  Their previous sound was excellent, but their new sound is a departure and even heavier than the previous albums.

 

Rather than being Modern Thrash Metal, the band has gone for a Grindcore sound that is certainly more popular in the 2010s.  The lyrics are less audible and more shouty on Pandemonium, making it a little more hardcore than previous albums.  The tracks have a raw sound, showing that their music is refreshingly not over produced.  The drums are even more highlighted by Igor on this album, with his technical and fast Thrash drumming.  The album sounds like a raw 80’s Thrash album, throwing back to the days of Slayer and Death Angel.  Overall, it’s a typical Grindcore and Thrash album that any fans of the genre will foam over and enjoy every track on it.  It is pure unedited, intense, assaulting, pounding noise, which is exactly what most Grindcore fans and bands strive for.  It is everything you expect in a typical Thrash Metal album, which is why I absolutely dislike this album.

 

Pandemonium is nothing special.  It is a poorly mixed and poorly arranged compilation of pure noise.  Yes the Cavalera brothers have made a big imprint on Metal, but this album does not live up to the expectations of the two.  Everything is uneven and distorted, making it difficult to pick out any good or catchy qualities in the music,  Thrash Metal continues to lack any changes or dynamics that make it desirable for me to listen to.  This album is not even close to the Thrash Metal that was recorded as demos in the late 70’s and 80’s, it is even worse quality than those original demos of Metallica and Slayer and Anthrax.  Pandemonium is a step backwards for metal.

Album Rating 4/10

 

Machine Head

 

Rob Flynn and Machine Head are back in 2014.  The American Thrash Metal pioneers release Bloodstone and Diamonds, a highly anticipated and talked about album that is currently blowing up Facebook dashboards and metal sites.  Of course the band has remained in the spotlight with their recently canceled North American tour with Epica and Rob Flynn criticizing other bands.  These controversial media centered stories have everyone in America talking about Machine Head, making them one of the top artists in rock of 2014.  Finally, the band has the new content to back up the outbursts of new and old fans with Bloodstone and Diamonds.

 

The new album is heavy, drilling, tight, and intense with every instrument in a devilish harmony.  The guitar work on this album is melodic and technical, like past albums, but even more refined.  Each song is different from the rest, some have more melodic undertones while others are just pure Thrash Metal.  The slow parts to the heavy and intense breakdowns show that the entire band put a lot of effort into this album.   It is a huge departure from Unto the Locust, but perhaps in a good way.  The new albums is back to their Thrash Metal roots, which certainly makes the older fans happier.  However, the band manages to preserve a more melodic sound with some clean vocals and dueling guitar parts, making the album more enjoyable to listen to than most Thrash Metal albums.

 

I am not a fan of Machine Head and Rob Flynn’s opinions, so I will admit the new album doesn’t excite me as much.  I have never been a huge Thrash Metal fan, because I find the music to be just pure noise without any true direction or talent.  The genre is full of garage bands who strive to pound instruments as loud and as fast as they can, but not all bands considered Thrash Metal are just noise.  That’s Machine Head’s redeeming quality in my eyes and is why I don’t entirely dislike Bloodstone and Diamonds.  The artistry of mixing heavy and fast playing with melodic and slow characteristics is an incredible quality to a metal band; Machine Head is certainly one of those bands who succeeds at this artistry and why they will keep having highly rated and proclaimed albums.  Bloodstone and Diamonds is much better than I thought it would be.

 

Overall Album Rating 7/10

 

Nachtblut

 

German Metal Band, Nachtblut, bring us a new dark and disturbing album in 2014 with Chimonas.  The band is known for making German Speed and Black Metal with heavy guitars rattling growling, and haunting synth parts to send shivers down your spine.  The band also infuses Folk themes into their blackened metal, like an extreme dark and twisted version of Eluveitie.  The band’s instrumentation is really tight, technical, and all over the place.  The changing tempos and waning rhythms keep the music interesting and far departed from being one dimensional.  While you may not speak full German, their music is honestly still enjoyable and fun to listen.  The well written quality in their music is actually quite surprising and desirable.

 

Nachtblut’s new album, Chimonas, is all of these qualities refined and boosted, proving Black Metal is very much alive.  With non stop heavy and dark tracks like “Gotteskrieger”, “Kalt wie Grab”, and “Schwarz”, the band appeals to the traditional Black Death Metal fans.  Then the band proves they’re anything but one dimensional with softer sorrow filled tracks like “Und immer wenn die Nacht anbricht” and folk metal anthem “Wien 1683”.  The tracks are all incredibly different from each other and while versed in different styles of European Metal.  Every song stands out from anything I’ve heard this year, in a good way.  As far as Black Metal albums go, Chimonas is one of  the best I’ve heard for quite some time and highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys European Death Metal.

 

Overall Album Rating 8/10

 

At The Gates

Renowned Melodic Death Metal and Gothenburg origin band, At The Gates has come to the ears of American listeners with new album At War With Reality.  The Swedish Death Metal band mixes extreme vocals, technical driving guitars, double bass power drumming, and true melodic sounds for an extremely unique form of metal.  Past albums and this latest one also have roots in American Thrash Metal, inspired by Slayer specifically.  At the Gates also differentiates from other Gothenburg bands as they have shrieking vocals as opposed to guttural growls.  The band also doesn’t include dueling soloing guitarists like In Flames and Omnium Gatherum.  They have their own take on Gothenburg Melodic Death Metal, proving the genre is full of unique and polished gems,

 

At War With Reality is an intense, blood curdling, spine grinding Death Metal with catchy melodic undertones from the guitars.  It is a typical At The Gates record with absolutely heavy breakdowns and creative offbeat shredding.  The vocals are typical from the band, hard to understand and sometimes abrasive, clashing with the downtuned shredding.  The vocals on this album sound pretty misplaced in my opinion and make the music sound emotionally flat, lacking any inspiration.  While the album is great jamming Death Metal, it lacks any dimension or meaning to keep you playing the record more than once.  The band may be legendary, but are not immune to becoming one dimensional or a rerun of a record.  Yes, At War With Reality is different from Terminal Spirit Disease and With Fear I Kiss The Burning Darkness, but it lacks any qualities that made those albums Death Metal classics.  It is certainly not the caliber I expected, especially after Slaughter of the Soul.  At War With Reality may be a highly purchased and loved album of 2014, but I can’t find any reason why it is so popular.  Everything is so subdued on this record and plain, lacking any strife or passion in the workmanship.  Either the band is tired and have gone for a mainstream sound, or the mastering of the record has turned everything good about the band down and one leveled.  This album could be a lot better with more time spent on the production and mastering.

 

Overall Album Rating: 4/10

 

Devilment

 

Devilment is a project created by guitarists Daniel Finch and Colin Parks, with the help from Cradle of Filth frontman Dani Filth.  Devilment is a Death Metal project, mixing macabre themes and heavy instrumentation.  The inspirations are typical; Witchcraft, Goth, Erotic themes, and whatever seems to amuse the writer.  The project aims to be a little more mainstream than typical Death Metal and be creative and interesting to see live.  Their new album The Great and Secret Show, is a mix of modern metal and underground metal sound.  It is definitely a unique release in 2014, but is getting mixed reviews from all different metal fans.

 

The Great and Secret Show is unique, but nothing new to music.  It is filled with Dani Filth’s typical grunting and howling vocals as well as his cheeky and creative lyrics.  The album sounds like a mix between “Repo! The Genetic Opera” and a remix of a Rammstein album.  It is definitely more theatrical than Dani Filth’s other projects, even more theatrical and dramatic than Cradle of Filth.  The album could definitely be a horror movie soundtrack, because of the darkness and simplicity to it.  It has an interesting mix Gothic Metal, Thrash Metal, Extreme Metal, and Symphonic Metal blended.  However, the album lacks anything impressive or surprising.  It is a very one dimensional album, lacking any dynamics or any catching sounds.  It’s simply just flat.  The theatrics and themes carry the actual musical content much farther than the music itself, meaning without the mood and Gothic feel the release would probably be a huge flop.

 

Overall Album Rating: 4/10

At The Gates Reveal New Single and New Album

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Gothenburg Melodic Death Metal band, At The Gates, released their title track today.  Many people thought there would never be another studio album from the Swedes, but the band defied even their own expectations.  The new album “At War With Reality” is based on a literary genre called Magic Realism.  The genre integrates normal reality with magical things or people in great detail.  The band said they would never release another studio album after “Slaughter To The Soul” because they didn’t think they could ever top that album after nearly a decade.  The band from the beginning has had hiatuses, a break up, and several member changes.

The new album should be a large departure from their previous albums.  I expect a very modern, dark, heavy, melodic, and complex album from At The Gates.  Based on the tracks I have heard so far, I expect a high quality and diverse release from the band.

At War With Reality drops October 27th (US) 2014

Listen to the new track here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoJYZITMZAI