VIDEO PREMIERE: Herod deliver oppressive heaviness with "Fork Tongue"

Recently voted album of the week at THE SLUDGELORD for their forthcoming album “Sombre Dessein” Herod are a juggernaut of bulldozing riffs that represent the next evolutionary step for the band and will see the band attain the respect they deserve, as one of the foremost purveyors of oppressive face melting heaviness.   “Sombre Dessein” will released on 15th February via Pelagic Records and today to whet your appetite we’re premiering the video for the track “Fork Tongue” below and you can read the bands thoughts about the video too.  Crank up the volume and watch your speakers die!!

"When Michael Pilat (Vocal/gtr) and Pierre Carroz (founder/gtr) worked on the lyrics, they came up with a concept made out of ideas and punch lines Pierre had been collecting for a few months. At that time Pierre was reading the works of a French philosopher (Michel Onfray) who introduced him to the idea of the inescapable end of our civilization as a Greek tragedy. We all have studied the history of ancient civilizations that have collapsed at some point, but it is like we cannot face the idea that we might reach the end of our civilization that started about 2000 years ago. After brainstorming, they decided to build the lyrics with the concept of the rise & fall of a dictator, which is also a tip of the cap to King Herod. 

Design-wise, Pierre had the idea of the « Shipbreakers" when he saw the documentary "Freightened" (https://www.freightened.com) that talks about the cargo freight which ships 90% of what we consume in social, economic and environmentally disastrous conditions. 

The artwork and the video clip are made up from footage of “Shipbreakers”, people who dismantle huge container ships which end up mooring to die on Indian or Bangladeshi shores. HEROD create a strong musical and visual image of the abysses of the human consumption project, which turns out to be hell on earth for these people whose every day work involves constantly risking their lives to feed their families. And we’re all concerned.

The idea behind the lyrics is the acceptance of the situation, the confrontation of our denial and the quest of a certain « tragic wisdom » in order to find the light where it is.

While opening 35 shows for Carcass in 2015, we were delighted to see Sir William Steer playing every night. He’s such a inspiring and thrilling guitar player as well as an humble gentleman. During the recoding process we ask him to record a solo on « Fork Tongue » and we couldn’t believe he accepted.

Herod will also be touring Europe in March + April with The Ocean:

13/03 - DE, Stuttgart - Im Wizemann

14/03 - CH, Geneva - PTR/ L'Usine

15/03 - FR, Lyon - CCO

16/03 - FR, Toulouse - Rex

17/03 - FR, Marseilles - Les Pennes Mirabeau

18/03 - FR, Colmar - Le Grillen

19/03 - FR, Bethune - Le Poche

20/03 - UK, Birmingham - Mama Roux

21/03 - IR, Limerick - Dolan's Warehouse

22/03 - IR, Dublin - Voodoo Lounge

23/03 - UK, Glasgow - Audio

24/03 - UK, Leeds - Brudenell Social Club

25/03 - BE, Antwerp - Trix

26/03 - NL, Den Haag - Paard

27/03 - DE, Cologne - Club Volta

28/03 - DE, Leipzig - Werk 2

29/03 - PL, Poznan - U Bazyla

30/03 - DE, Bremen - Tower

31/03 - DE, Hamburg - Logo

02/04 - SE, Stockholm - Fryhuset, Klubben

03/04 - SE, Gothenburg - Tradgarn

06/04 - NO, Stavangar - Folken

07/04 - NO, Hamar - Gregers

08/04 - DK, Copenhagen - Vega

Band info: facebook

6 NEW BANDS: THE SLUDGELORD's "666 Pack Review" (January 2019)

By: Nikos Mixas

We made it to another year and January 2019’s edition of THE SLUDGELORD’s “666 Pack Review” is here to celebrate all that is sludgy, heavy and brand fucking new!  There are some huge releases coming out this year, so will this carry over to THE SLUDGELORD’s “666 Pack Review”?  We shall see…  If you’re new to this, each and every month we handpick 6 review submissions and critique them by only using 6 words, then we rate them on a scale from 1 to 666!  Check out our cold as fuck rating scale below: 

1 – If I had a choice to listen to this, or jump into a frozen lake, I’d take the frozen lake.

2 – It is said that whiskey will make you forget that it’s cold out, not too sure about that but it’ll sure help me forget about this band…    
3 – This is the equivalent of can of warm chicken soup when it’s freezing outside.  It kind of does the trick, but not really.  
4 – The feeling you get seeing High on Fire and there’s a blizzard happening outside.       
5 – This will get your ticket punched for purgatory, I heard it’s warm, happy and sludgy there.    
666 – THE SLUDGELORD commends you for warming our bitter and cold heart this month!

Caveat:  Even though the “666 Pack Review” is meant to offer humorous critique, there are no safe spaces here and your gripes will only make you sound like a bellyacher.  THE SLUDGELORD is a picky listener…and doesn’t care what you think of his opinions…

1). Weird Tales “Hell Services Cost a Lot” (Warsaw, Poland)    Rating: 5

Polish Sludge Metal Rules.  Who knew?

2). Hair Puller “Old Friend” (Portland, U.S.A.)   Rating: 4

Chuggy, screamy, their name is appropriate.

3). ILS “Pain Don’t Hurt” (Portland, U.S.A.)   Rating: 666!

This band wins the Portland trophy. 

4). Withered Fist “This is My Mountain” (County Tipperary, Ireland)   Rating: 5

Soundgarden with sludgey, doomtastic mountainic groove.

5). Yuxa “Yuxa” (Brighton, United Kingdom)   Rating: 666!

If Godflesh kicked the industrial habit…

6). Drofnosura “Voidfever” (Toronto, Canada)   Rating: 4

Eclectic doom, a taste of YOB

Band info: Weird Tales || Hair Puller || ILS || Drofnosura

ALBUM REVIEW: A Pale Horse Named Death, “When The World Becomes Undone"

By: Elliot Paisley


Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 18/01/2019
Label: Long Branch Records

A bold and defiant display of the group’s collective talents, “When The World Becomes Undone” highlights the strengths of his band – atmospheric build, riffs and conviction in performances.

“When The World Becomes Undone” CD//DD//LP track listing:

. As It Begins

2. When The World Becomes Undone

3. Love The Ones You Hate

4. Fell In My Hole

5. Succumbing To The Event Horizon

6. Vultures

7. End Of Days

8. The Woods

9. We All Break Down
10. Lay With The Wicked

11. Splinters

12. Dreams Of The End

13. Closure

The Review:

Formed in Brooklyn by one Sal Abruscato, A Pale Horse Named Death have come to be viewed as the spiritual successor to Type O Negative, one of the finest metal bands of the 1990s. The primary purveyors of sexual synth-laden gothic doom metal, they released a string of classic albums, complete with sludgy pop-covers and 11 minute odes to hair dye. Their career was tragically cut short by the untimely death of their enigmatic frontman, Peter Steele, following the release of their splendid, but unintended and absurdly underrated swan-song “Dead Again”. The band rightly saw no future without him, and they ultimately dissolved. A Pale Horse Named Death have been hoping to carry on the legacy of the legendary group who preceded them, and “When The World Becomes Undone” is their first effort in 6 years.

Despite being only present for the early days of Type O Negative, Abruscato had an immense impact. On 1991’s savage and menacing “Slow, Deep and Hard” and the follow-up, 1992’s delightful faux-live album “The Origin Of The Feces”, complete with fake boos from the crowd and the production credit for notorious 19^th century freak-show ringleader P.T. Barnum, the unmistakeable groove of Abruscato propelled this New-York gothic-doom four-piece. He was essential in turbo-charging their music to its explosive limits. They were certainly a curious commodity, but it was only with the release of 1993’s “Bloody Kisses”, a wildly inventive breakout album, that the band reached their final form. It would prove to be the final album to serve Abruscato, who would go on to be replaced by Johnny Kelly (although the band, rather insultingly, would often employ a drum machine in the studio).

It is a surprising turn of events then that Abruscato and Kelly have joined forces, with the former taking vocal and guitar duties while the latter remains behind the kit. The remaining line up has seemingly been a revolving of accomplished but obscure musicians, and perhaps it is for this reason that A Pale Horse Named Death are seen as the successor of Type O, for it certainly isn’t the music.

There are some similarities; the music is not short of riffs, they are unafraid of the use of the synths, and the band are happy to take their time reaching their destination. However, even within these common links, there are differences which make themselves immediately clear. Type O’s unmistakeable chamber synths have been traded for more organic, authentic lavishes of instrumentation, as shown most effectively on the title-track. Furthermore, the riffs present on “When The World Becomes Undone” lumber more than they slam, and individually, the songs present less variety. The band are likely to take an idea to its logical conclusion rather than surprise the listener. This is by no means a negative trait, in fact this is often the norm in doom metal, and in this case it even shows APHND stretching their wings.

The album highlight, “Splinters”, calls upon the more recent work of Amebix as well as Danzig’s classic era. A bold and defiant display of the group’s collective talents, it highlights the strengths of his band – atmospheric build, riffs and conviction in performances. This is a key example of them playing to their strengths, and it would be wise of this group to continue to experiment in this realm in the future. By diluting the direct Sabbath influences with punk and gothic influences, the band distinguish themselves from their countless and often unremarkable peers.

The album does suffer some fatal flaws however. Vocally, the band are lacking all the necessary charisma. Despite all the best will in the world, people are always going to compare this group to Type O Negative, who boasted one of the most alluring frontmen of the decade in Peter Steele. Boasting an irresistible dry wit and knack for language, often delivered in his haunting baritone, his charm was one of the primary factors for their success; one need only watch his now infamous appearance on Jerry Springer, where he manages to seduce a crowd of conservative women itching to boo him, to see how potent he was in this regard. This may seem a miniature aspect to the band, but it was the root of much of their appeal. Here however, Abruscato doesn’t have nearly the same talent. He’s a passable frontman, but it does prove a sore point for both the band and the album.

The band suffer their lack of charisma when compared to Type O Negative, but even when analysed as their own entity without the weight of history on their shoulders, the band don’t stand out in the way they ought to. Despite boasting decades of experience among them, the band struggle to establish a personal identity, and in a style of music seemingly as stagnant as this, it proves to be problematic. The band are a perfectly functional supergroup, but they never do enough to escape the shadow of their history, and it does often taint the listening experience.

A Pale Horse Named Death are unlikely to ever be held up as an extraordinary, or even significant, band, but perhaps that’s not their purpose. Perhaps they are to be remembered as a perfectly functional doom-metal supergroup who possess moments of true greatness. There’s enough on “When The World Comes Undone” to suggest they have room to grow, and that’s an admirable trait. The band also show sustained conviction, a quality often rare in super-groups. The band sound hungry, and that takes them a long way. While the final product is a mildly underwhelming presentation this time around, there is still hope they will capitalize on their cumulative talents in the future.

“When The World Becomes Undone” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM PREMIERE: Lithuanian post metallers Autism declare "Have You Found Peace?"

With their fourth release, Lithuanian post metal band AUTISM have taken their song writing to the new level. Based on a short story, “Have You Found Peace?” explores the tragic concepts of alienation and loss in a 42-minute-long musical journey. The result is a captivating experience of heavy post-rock and atmospheric sludge metal merged with a conceptual scope akin to the works of prog giants like Steven Wilson and Anathema. 

“Have You Found Peace?” is the epitome of the band’s use of cinematic storytelling, and is somewhat of a musical Gesamtkunstwerk, featuring collaborations with bands that AUTISM has performed with in the past. Krzysztof Traczyk, who is the vocalist of Polish post-metal act ROSK, has provided vocals and narration throughout the album, most notably to the second track “No Word”, which carries a heavy Cult of Luna-vibe. Contributing to the same track we find the Lithuanian ambient/noise

artist OORCHACH, while further collaborations involve cult ambient artist Laurynas Jukonis (Girnų Giesmės) and Valdas Voveraitis (ERDVE). The latter intensifies the track “Haunting Recollections” with his moody saxophone phrasings and a blistering solo towards the climax of the track. 

“Have You Found Peace?” is a logical continuation from the previous AUTISM albums, but it transcends anything the band has ever done before. Through a subtle blend of spoken word narratives and a dynamic soundtrack of soaring guitars and enigmatic ambient textures, AUTISM manage to present their story in a truly unique fashion, creating an ambitious statement of their artistry and we’re delighted at THE SLUDGELORD to be able to stream the entire album in full below.  The album will be available to buy from HERE 04/02/2019

Band info: bandcamp ||  facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Blaze Bayley, “Live in France”

By: Richard Maw

 

Album Type: Live Album / DVD
Date Released: 01/03/2019
Label: Blaze Bayley Recordings

 

“…twenty storming performances of twenty storming songs by a band and vocalist who deserve every success”

 

“Live in France” CD//DD//DVD track listing:

 

Disc One

 

1. Redeemer

2. Are You Here

3. Futureal

4. The First True Sign

5. Silicon Messiah

6. Dawn of the Dead Son

7. Escape Velocity

8. Fight Back

9. Prayers Of Light

10. Virus

Disc Two

 

1. Independence
2. Immortal One
3. Human
4. Calling You Home
5. Endure And Survive
6. The Angel And The Gambler
7. Man on the Edge
8. A Thousand Years
9. Infinite Entanglement
10. Dark Energy 256


The Review:


Blaze Bayley puts an emphatic exclamation mark on his superb “Infinite Entanglement” album trilogy with this double live album- also available as a DVD and various combinations of one or both formats available.. The twenty tracks here consist of many of the best of the songs from the IE concept albums, as well as a liberal smattering of Maiden classics and the title track from his own “Silicon Messiah” album.


Anyone who witnessed him on the 2018 tour for “The Redemption of William Black” will know what to expect from the set list. The recording itself finds Blaze and the boys at the peak of their powers. “Redeemer” opens atmospherically to a charged crowd atmosphere. It's straight into “Are You Here” and the band are clearly very tight and well focused by the prior months of touring.


By the time that Blaze-era Maiden classic “Futureal” bursts out of the speakers, you will know that you are in for a tour de force live record. Indeed, with Blaze's backing band consisting of three members of Absolva the sound is energetic and the tempos suitably urgent. This live rendition knocks the “Virtual XI” album version into a neatly cocked hat; it has the energy, enthusiasm and vibe that much of that album lacked.


You can hear the crowd in many parts of the record- Blaze getting them involved and keeping them engaged. This is a lesson in how to work a venue's crowd and how to make a gig of any size seem like a stadium show. Blaze delivers a very clear introduction to “The First True Sign” that is clearly meant to be understood by the French fans and this highlights how much Blaze cares about the fans and the crowds- having seen him live a couple of times over the last few years this absolutely shines through in his stage show; whether he be playing Grimsby, Manchester or more exotic locations. Not for him the London elitism of other artists: he and the band give their all at EVERY show.

If I am being honest, I miss tracks from “The Man Who Would Not Die” not being included, but the addition of “Silicon Messiah” almost makes up for it. It's a great song from a great album that was overlooked on release, due to a certain “classic lineup” reforming and putting a record out at the same time. Timing is everything, but there we are. From there we are lucky enough to hear the epic “Dawn of the Dead Son” and the storming “Escape Velocity” from “Endure and Survive”; as convincing a one-two punch as you will hear. Later in the set, we also get the title track.

Naturally, this record being from the tour in support of “The Redemption of William Black” there are a fair few songs from it: “Fight Back”, “Prayers of Light”, “Immortal One” and the aforementioned tracks all feature and showcase just how stiring that record was- quite an achievement to be firing on all cylinders at the end of a three album cycle. The songs come thick and fast- no let up from the band for several tracks at a time and it's clear that Blaze and cohorts are intent on delivering a strong set list, high on value and low on gimmicks.

At the mid-point, we get a committed rendition of “Virus” from Blaze's Maiden days. Truthfully, I never liked the track much on the “Best of the Beast” compilation, but I appreciate it a lot more in this setting. In the latter part of the album, Blaze professes his appreciation of the crowd and his love of being an independent artist. Truly, this independence suits Blaze as he can do what he wants and follow his muse. Blaze gives some heartfelt thanks and some good humour as well in the introduction to “Independence” and then it's back to serious headbanging business.

The latter half of the set is weighted more towards the first record in the “Infinite Entanglement” trilogy and is thus a little more up beat than the first half. This keeps the energy levels up and gives the impression of the band going from strength to strength- no coasting towards encores here! It's a pleasure to hear such tracks as “Human “and “A Thousand Years” (both classics, IMO).

There is also a real curio for fans in the shape of a re-worked version of “The Angel and The Gambler”. The track was much maligned when first released; the endlessly repeating chorus, the parping synth, the hard rock styling... However, I have always quite liked it. Sure, it's over long on “Virtual XI” and synths are an acquired taste, but delivered straight as a grooving hard rock track with audience participation and no synths it WORKS! It's like a step child to AC/DC with Blaze really giving it some vocally. Martin McNee puts in a solid drum solo amidst some serious (dual) guitar pyrotechnics with Luke Appleton of Iced Earth and Absolva joining as a guest.

Now, if you want an unarguable Maiden classic, “Man on the Edge” is here for you. Fast as a shark and twice a deadly this is one of Blaze's and perhaps even Maiden's best. The last three tracks take in “A Thousand Years” (power metal heaven!), the trilogy's title track and “Dark Energy 256”. Blaze's appreciation of the crowd is sincere and made very clear. The in-between song banter pushes some of the song lengths- and is at the start of tracks instead of at the end, so cannot be skipped... but isn't that what a live album is suppose to be?! It is an accurate representation of the shows from this tour and captures the band on ferocious form.

If you ever thought about seeing Blaze but decided against it, get down to the next tour in 2019. You are guaranteed a fully committed performance of many, many classic songs- for a very reasonable price, I might add. There is nothing to not like here: twenty storming performances of twenty storming songs by a band and vocalist who deserve every success. Blaze is out there, fighting the good fight and living his dream. If you buy this album or buy a ticket to a show you help him to keep doing just that and you'll enrich your own life in the process. A fair exchange.

 

“Live in France” is available HERE

Band info: official || facebook

6 NEW BANDS: THE SLUDGELORD'S "666 PACK REVIEW" (THE 6(66) OF 2018)

By: Nikos Mixas

If you’ve been paying attention, the 666 PACK REVIEW is an abbreviated review column mostly focused on very new bands or bands that have submitted demo material to THE SLUDGELORD.  The basic premise is that 6 bands are critiqued using only 6 words and on a scale from 1 to 6(66).  What you see below is the best of the year 2018 for the 666 PACK REVIEW.  There were only 6 bands that received the highest of ratings so please go give them some love by revisiting their music and their web pages.  We at the THE SLUDGELORD hope great things come to them.  Congrats and hails to those bands that made the list!  

1). Estuary Blacks, “Estuary Blacks” (Swansea, Wales) (March)

Pelican meets Elder meets amber ale.   

2). Morpholith, “Void Emissions” (Reykjavík, Iceland) (April)

Really digging the vocals. Hails Iceland!

3). Magik Black, “Magik Black” (Nizhny Novgorod, Russia) (June)

Dumb name but shaddup and listen!

4). Ritual Earth, “Demo” (Philadelphia, U.S.A.) (September)

Shoe in for Psycho Las Vegas.

5). LMDA “Darkest Days and Rituals” (Strasbourg, France) (October)

Powerviolence, soundtrack to destroy things to. 

6). Vandampire, “You will be the bones” (London, United Kingdom) (November)

This is THE SLUDGELORD, you lost?

ALBUM REVIEW: Soilwork, “Verkligheten”

By: Elliot Paisley

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 11/01/2019

Label: Nuclear Blast

 

“Verkligheten” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Verkligheten
2. Arrival
3. Bleeder Despoiler
4. Full Moon Shoals

5. The Nurturing Glance
6. When The Universe Spoke
7. Stålfågel (feat. Alissa White-Gluz)
8. The Wolves Are Back In Town
9. Witan
10. The Ageless Whisper
11. Needles And Kin (feat. Tomi Joutsen)
12. You Aquiver (feat. Dave Sheldon)

The Review:  

Soilwork are a key example of a band being in the wrong place but at the right time. Their native Helsingborg is a small town in Sweden, closer to Copenhagen, Denmark than it is to melo-death mecca Gothenburg. Forming in late 1995, they were in prime position to take the place of At The Gates, frontrunners of the scene soon to disband and join the ranks among Dark Tranquillity and In Flames. However, this ultimately failed to manifest.

The band were never held in the same esteem as their contemporaries, and the reason why is curious. Could it be geography? Were they late to the party? Nevertheless, since their inception, the band have remained outsiders.

Their influence however must not be underestimated. Perhaps more than any other melodic death metal band, they have also had a remarkably apparent influence on the boom of American metalcore in the early 2000s, with such bands as Killswitch Engage, Unearth and particularly Trivium taking direct influence and appropriating the band’s flair for juddering rhythms and electrifying melody. Their work has even infiltrated the mainstream, as commercial heavyweights such as Avenged Sevenfold and Bullet for My Valentine have taken direct influence. They may not have been the originators, but Soilwork managed to wrangle a complex and whirling form of extreme metal and given it life in the limelight, despite not entirely enjoying such commercial success themselves.

Despite this, Soilwork could never boast about their consistency. While “Natural Born Chaos”, “Figure Number Five” and “Stabbing the Drama” each helped establish them as one of the leading lights of melodic death metal, the two following albums showed Soilwork making a beeline for the mainstream. Perhaps following in the footsteps of Dark Tranquillity, who embraced clean vocals and a gothic sheen, and In Flames, who explored alternative metal like that of Deftones, Soilwork began to take from the metalcore bands they had previously influenced. Both “Sworn to a Great Divide” and “The Panic Broadcast” felt derivative rather than defiant, and there was a worry that Soilwork were to fade from former glories, much like their contemporaries.

However, 2013 saw a tremendous return to form with the ambitious double-record “The Living Infinite”. Embracing their early victories and taking that formula into exciting new territory, the 20-song set helped establish Soilwork as a great band once again and quashed all doubt of their quality. It remains as one of the finest albums in their career Soilwork in good stead for the future. This campaign was furthered with the excellent 2016 effort “The Ride Majestic”, which was a leaner, meaner release than its predecessor and was welcomed by fans and critics alike. Improving on the progress made on “The Living Infinite”, the band made what was perhaps their most effective and successful album to date.

This has put “Verkligheten” in a curious position; on one hand, the band are in a strong position, having earnt back the trust of fans with the preceding two releases, but on the other, they now have a reputation to live up to. It is a relief to report that “Verkligheten” suffers no downfall, and instead further establishes Soilwork as perhaps a sole truly reliable band in melodic death metal.

The performances on this album are absolutely superb, from the opening moments of the instrumental title track, with it’s curious slide-guitar over tribal-drums aesthetic to the glorious string-bends which close the album, the band are on astounding form. This is the first album with Bastian Thusgaard, who has inherited the drum stool following the departure of Dirk Verbeuren who has recently become the full-time drummer for Megadeth, and he proves himself with an exceptional performance. Fiery and fluid, the percussion on this album mercifully swerves the traps that often laid within this style of music of feeling contrived and repetitive. It bolsters the album along and gives it a sense of pace that allows the album to feel light on its feet while also accenting the heavier passages.

The instrumentation is well-performed and tastefully composed, but perhaps the most impressive work on this album comes from vocalist Bjorn Strid, who has continued to improve album-on-album, with “Verkligheten” perhaps being his most accomplished performance yet. In a 20+ year career, to see a vocalist (particularly in metal) continuing to improve his craft is a rare thing. His screeches are furious and his cleans serene; it’s not a new formula, but when it is done to a high standard it remains refreshing.

The guitar-work is also electrifying, with soaring Maiden lead-wails providing a superb juxtaposition to the rhythm guitar’s punishing grunt. The album’s stand-out track “Witan” is a perfect example of this, with the low-end at its heaviest and the lead work at its most heavenly. Again, it’s not an entirely original formula, but when it is done with such conviction, it is still irresistible.

However, the album isn’t flawless. Perhaps most interestingly though, the primary flaws of this album are not really the fault of the band. The production job on the album, while complimenting the sweeter, more melodic passages of the album, can’t help but make certain passages feel less savage than they ought to. It’s far cleaner than it ought to be, and this is a pandemic among these types of bands; many of them appear afraid to embrace gritty production jobs, despite the fact that they would be far improved for it.

The band are their most electrifying when they let themselves off the leash and sound positively rabid, and at times it feels as though the band are restraining themselves. Closing track “You Aquiver”, while boasting some joyous melodies, does occasionally stray too far into Final-Fantasy territory, which is far from Soilwork playing to their strengths. It’s a markedly less-heavy album than what the band have put out recently, which isn’t inherently a bad thing, but it does show Soilwork moving away from the sweet-spot ever so slightly.

Despite these flaws, “Verkligheten” is still a great album. Soilwork may never be as good as In Flames, Dark Tranquillity or At The Gates at their heights; even their finest works don’t match up with “Clayman”, “The Gallery” or “Slaughter Of The Soul”, but in 2019, they are certainly one of the finest commodities within this style of music. Were it not for last year’s excellent “To Drink From The Night Itself”, a superb return to form by At The Gates, it would be difficult to find a peer for Soilwork in the modern age. “Verkligheten” may not be quite as exceptional as the preceding two albums, but it does more than enough to establish their dependability over 20 years in.

“Verkligheten” is available HERE

Band info: facebook