Metal
Black Waltz Records
Release date – February 17th 2023
Line Up:
Johannes Eckerstrom – Vocals
Jonas Jarlsby – Guitar
Tim Ohrstrom – Guitar
Henrik Sandelin – Bass
John Alfredsson – Drums
Tracklist:
1 – Dance Devil Dance
2 – Chimp Mosh Pit
3 – Valley Of Disease
4 – On The Beach
5 – Do You Feel In Control
6 – Gotta Wanna Riot
7 – The Dirt I’m Buried In
8 – Clouds Dipped In Chrome
9 – Hazmat Suit
10 – Train
11 – Violence No Matter What (Featuring Lzzy Hale)
When this came through the interweb into my inbox I was shaking with delight. Having reviewed the previous two albums I was made up of, both were sublime slices of modern metal but this is something even more sublime. The band has reached back to their teenage years and rekindled their love of metal in the biggest way possible. Hang on to your hats because these guys mean business!
Kicking off with the title track they go straight for the throat on a huge grind that just grooves aplenty. Johannes Eckerstrom once again proves what an amazing voice he has going from harsh growls to a powerful clean roar then somewhere in between. Guitarists Jonas Jarlsby and Tom Ohrstrom keep it simple and heavy whilst the rhythm section of Henrik Sandelin and John Alfredsson just lock in perfectly and hereby, they have set the tone for the rest of the album. ‘Chimp Mosh Pit’ continues with massive grooves almost like Jane’s Addiction then ‘Valley Of Disease’ crushes like a wrecking ball and brings Eckerstrom’s death-like growl. ‘On The Beach’ is another groover with Sandelin’s bass right up front, some spidery riffage, and some ska for good measure on the chorus! Things get proper vicious and rapid on ‘Do You Feel In Control’ then we get some fun party rock with ‘Gotta Wanna Riot’ – this is going to whip a crowd into a frenzy, no doubt! ‘The Dirt I’m Buried In’ is some alt-metal with bluesy lines and a huge melodic chorus then we get some serious chug on ‘Clouds Dipped In Chrome’ which is some serious death metal.
Here we go for the blistering ‘Hazmat Suit’ which is going to be a classic – arena-sized fist-pumping metal! ‘Train’ is the total surprise, almost soul with Eckerstrom giving us his baritone croon before they rip into a death metal chorus. The final track sees Lzzy Hale adding her nastiest vocals to ‘Violence No Matter What!’ and boy do they put the point across.
There were some fabulous releases from some huge names in 2022 and this is a wonderful start to 2023. I don’t think it matters what sort of metal you like you will thoroughly enjoy this. It’s equal parts traditional and modern plus there are a few curveballs as ever with Avatar. My question is – what will they do next?
Score: 10/10
Reviewed by: Smudge
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