SOILWORK
“VERKLIGHETEN”
Album Review by Piers Renfree

8/10

Strange as it may seem, but up until now, I hadn’t heard Soilwork. I had heard of them; seen the band’s name mentioned in the heavy metal press, but this was my introduction to them. In fact, until I got this album to review, I knew nothing really about them. Their name started hitting my radar during the late Nu-Metal days and without meaning to, they got caught up and lost with a scene that didn’t do a lot for me personally. Yes, my bad, I should have paid a bit more attention, as not only are they a melodic death metal band and not nu-metal, but also they’re Swedish, not at all from the USA, where the most commercially successful nu-metal bands came from.

Guitarist and songwriter Peter Wichers and vocalist Björn Strid formed the band in Helsingborg, Sweden, in 1995 with the original name of Inferior Breed. They soon changed the band’s name to Soilwork, meaning working from the ground up. In 2005, Peter Wichers left the band, but rejoined again in 2008, before leaving again in 2012, over musical differences.

“Verklighten” (which translates into English as “Reality”, according to the internet) is the band’s eleventh studio album, since their debut release “Steelbath Suicide” in 1998. “The Chainheart Machine” followed the band’s debut two years later, then “A Predator’s Portrait” in 2001, “Natural Born Chaos” (2002), “Figure Number 5” (2003), “Stabbing The Drama” (2004), “Sworn To A Great Divide” (2007), “The Panic Broadcast” (2010), “The Living Infinite” (2013) “Beyond The Infinite”, “The Ride Majestic (2015). Two E.P.’s “The Early Chapters” (2004) and “Beyond The Infinite (2014), two compilation albums “The Sledgehammer Files – The Best Of Soilwork 98-08” (2008) and “Death Resonance” (2016) plus a live double album and dvd “Live In The Heart Of Helsinki” (2015) complete this prolific band’s output to date.

Axl – look at this band’s output and then explain again why “Chinese Democracy” took so long. We digress…

Currently, the line-up in Soilwork consists of Björn “Speed” Strid – vocals, Sylvain Coudret – guitar, David Andersson – guitar, Taylor Nordberg – bass, Sven Karlsson – keyboards and Bastian Thursgaard – drums.

The band can play, as evidenced with their changes from melodic passages to heavy, brutal, thrashy riffs with ease and employ breakdowns as well as guitar solos in their music. Björn Strid switches his vocal style from guttural growls and screams to clean, melodic singing, following the often copied, but never bettered style of Burton C Bell. The production is crisp and clear and everyone gets to prove their musicianship.

All in all, I was pleasently surprised at how much I liked this album.

TRACKLIST

Verkligheten
Arrival
Bleeder Despoiler
Full Moon Shoals
The Nurturing Glance
When The Universe Spoke
Stalfagel
The Wolves Are Back In Town
Witan
The Ageless Whisper
Needles And Kin
You Aquiver

https://www.soilwork.org
https://www.facebook.com/soilwork/

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