Nine "Killing Angels" CD
[Deathwish]
Here's some pretty interesting work from this Swedish outfit. I've never heard them in the past, despite the fact that they've been around for something like 10 years and this is their fourth full-length (released in Sweden about a year ago on Burning Heart Records), but I definitely should have been familiar with 'em based on the quality of this offering, I can tell you that much right now. It's a rather interesting blend of metal, hardcore, and rock 'n' roll that can't be categorized very clearly, ending up with lots of thick rhythms and absolutely awesome vocals with a really throaty texture that rests somewhere between yelling and singing. At times there's definitely a little bit of a lighter "death 'n' roll" vibe ala some of Entombed's post-"Wolverine Blues" work (and not ironically Entombed's own L.G. Petrov lends some additional vocals to excellent closer "Them" - making for one of the heavier moments herein), but while dark, this material isn't over the top in heaviness, so the metal influences are largely brought in with the aggression of the vocals and some of the more discordant chord progressions. With repeated listens it becomes more and more clear how strong the foundation for this material basically revolves around heavy rock. "Euthanasia" is among the more straightforward and rocked out compositions with hints of melody and a pretty memorable framework, "Discontent O.D." keeps the tempos a little more hurried and energetic but retains a harder-hitting edge to the playing, "33" is a little more sinister with its dissonant chords and nice layers of eerily melodic guitar textures, and so forth. Aptly titled "The End" is the longest and most destructive track herein, utilizing plodding rhythms and softer singing vocals under a light filter (doubled with the aggressive screams) - definitely my favorite through and through. The recording is absolutely fucking excellent. The rhythm section sounds warm and natural and lets the bass thunder away with just enough differentiation from the guitars, the guitars are thick with just the right amount of grit and texture - not too heavy, but certainly dense and cohesive, and the vocals sound incredible. I seriously fucking love the vocals on this release: The delivery is dead on, and totally harnesses the right level of emotion and energy to match the music. As always with Deathwish releases the layout totally kills, though it does look eerily similar on some level to Integrity's "To Die For" in overall color scheme and textural aesthetic, but the cover image folds out into an awesome four-panel square spread and looks amazing. Lyrically the tracks stick to brief lines that are strung together for abstractly bleak messages: "Set it all in flames, If this is heaven no angels sing, The clouds look black tonight, If this is hell no fire burns..." Good stuff. I was almost expecting something that would be bludgeoningly heavy, but the rock 'n' roll undercurrents make for a nice and unexpected shift here. But make no mistake, this isn't a good times rock 'n' roll record at all, the material definitely leaves a mark and falls on the more ominous side of the fence. It's a consistent listen that has just enough flare to feel adventurous within its own niche. Absolutely worth checking out. (7/10)
Running time - 38:31, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: Discontent O.D., The End, 33, Them]
Deathwish inc. - http://www.deathwishinc.com

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