SOILWORK - The Living Infinite : REVIEW by S.M.

About Soilwork

Label: Nuclear Blast

Band Page: www.soilwork.org

Duration: 84:38

Tracks: 20

Genre: Melodic death metal

Line-up:    
Bjorn "Speed" Strid - vocals

Sylvain Coudret - guitar

David Andreson - guitar

Sven Karlsson - keys

Ola Flink - bass guitar

Dirk Verbeuren - drums

The Living Infinite - Review

What to say about the Swedes Soilwork? I'm impressed with every single piece of work, they have done so far. Although I didn't like their first release so much (Steelbath Suicide), the rest is pure history at it's finest. Listening to the singers, how they develop their vocal performance from one album to another, is quite rare these days. I can recall the first time I heard "A Predator's Portrait", where Bjorn started with some clean vocal inserts. I think he truly developed his skills on "Stabbing The Drama", where the legendary Devin Townsend took care for vocal recordings. "Stabbing The Drama" had one more turning point in history of Soilwork. Henry Ranta, who played drums for Soilwork almost from beginning (he replaced Carlos Del Olmo, who played drums on "Steelbath Suicide"), left the band. The band hired the magnificent Dirk Verbeuren. Man, when I heard Stabbing The Drama, I was like - woooow, now that's a drummer with some skills and feeling for drumming and fills, that fit well with the rest of the band. To me, he is one of the best (if not the best) drummers in the world. His knowledge goes waaaay beyond metal.

There were some other line-up changes throug the years, most significant were, when Peter Wichers left after Stabbing The Drama. Soilwork let Sylvain Coudret in, fellow member of Dirk's former band, Scarve. Sylvain did an awesome job, replacing Peter. The band continued with extensive touring and recorded next album, "Sworn To A Great Divide". As I said before, every Soilwork's forthcoming album is a masterpiece. Great guitar riffage, drum blasts, skanks, grooves, amtosherical synth layers in background etc. etc. etc. After "Sworn To A Great Divide", Ola Frenning, former guitarist and co-founder of Soilwork, left the band. Peter Wichers came back and "The Panic Broadcast" was borned. Again, Peter left the band after that album. Band recruited their long time friend, David Anderson. Together, they recorded their latest and perhaps the best album, "The Living Infinite".

"The Living Infinite" is a double album, most likely first double album in melodic death metal genre, as they stated.

We are greeted with up-tempo "Spectrum Of Eternity", which is definitely one of highlights. Great guitar melodies, vocal screams, singing, drum grooves and blasts.... Man, just woooooow.... One more thing. I went to see Soilwork on Metaldays this year, and they sound exactly the same live. All balls, no bullshit. :)

I like every single song on this album. I wonder, how they manage to release albums, that aren't just about 2 or 3 songs and the rest is pure crap.

You have to take a listen to "This Momentary Bliss", "Rise Above The Sentiment",
"The Living Infinite"....
Oh hell, listen to them all. You wont regret it. If you will - you're not a metalhead. :)

The beginning of the second CD is just pure earporn. Cool instrumental, followed by "Long Live The Misanthrope" - another song, that creates pure metal mayhem. I would like to mention a particular song, that I like since first time I heard it - "Rise Above The Sentiment". One of the best choruses Soilwork made - but that's just my humble opinion. :)

"The Living Infinite" was produced by Jens Borgen (Opeth, Amon Amarth,...) and I gotta say - man, perhaps you are even better than "almighty" Andy Sneap or Daniel Bergstrand.

I think Jens went for more fat and round sound than previous records, which had aggressive mixes with more high frequencies. I mean, listening to "The Living Infinite" at higher volume will not give the listener as much ear pain than some other Soilwork album, like for example "Stabbing The Drama" or "Sworn To A Great Divide". Everything is in place as it should be, but still maintains enough "uncompromised anger", which Soilwork deliver together with melodies, that absolutely made them one of the best and most significant melodic death metal bands on earth. Period. :)

One of the best metal albums In 2013 so far. Can't recommend it enough.

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_10/10       
Samo Mrak/jzacrew.com