Dimension Zero "This is Hell" CD
[Century Media]
This is one of those Swedish metal "supergroups" (of sorts) that I do like, but I can't help but wonder why they exist. With current and former members of In Flames, Diabolique, and Marduk, among others, you'd think they might experiment a bit, but really they play straight up Swedish death metal with a good sense of melody. They're a bit more aggressive than most bands of this nature, meaning that they're not as melodic as In Flames, but they're not nearly as in your face as Marduk either. It's unoriginal Swedish death metal played well by Swedes who are or were in other bands who've done more interesting and innovative work than this. Which always leads me to assume that this band is just for fun, but who knows? Just expect a good dose of moderate speed, lots of tremolo picking, a few slower breaks, tons of classic styled Swedish death metal riffs... you know, a lot of stuff that sounds similar to At the Gates, without copying At the Gates. In the band's defense they're tight players and they write some killer riffs, they're way better than most any non-Swedish band trying their hands at this genre, and as I said, I do like this band, hell, I did grab their new CD... but still, is it really necessary? The recording is fine by me. The guitar tone is really heavy but crisp, the drums are fine, the vocals sound fucking perfect, and the bass is just barely making itself heard. More bass would be cool, but this is guitar driven music and guitars are key, so I'm not complaining. For the most part the layout looks fucking awesome. I think the cover art is a little goofy, but the grimy textures and text arrangements throughout the pages of the booklet are great, I love that stuff. I don't know what to say about the lyrics other than I don't really care for them: "When black turns out white, When the day is night for real, I saw what this is like, I can't seem to face this life..." I guess the answer to the question of whether or not the existence of this band is a necessity depends on the individual. There's no question that a lot of people who hate what bands like In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, and Soilwork are doing these days will still love Dimension Zero. I myself could certainly live without this record, but I figure fuck it, it's out there, it's a good listen, so sign me up. (7/10)
Running time - 36:26, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: Into and Out of Subsistence, Amygdala, Di'i Minores]
Dimension Zero - http://www.dimensionzero.org

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