Worship Or Die
Metalville, 2019
8/10
The Swedish metal legends return with their 9th album, and this time around there’s plenty of melody weaved into their retro and modern ideas.
‘Night Of The Hunter” starts the listen off with cinematic sounds before charged riffs and snarling, almost theatric vocals invade the fiery opener, and “This Must Be Paradise” follows with a soaring, anthemic quality that points towards the early days of metal yet with a modern rock quality.
The band use tension and melody to their advantage often, as “Worship Or Die” pushes and pulls with power and restraint, while “Concrete Heart” recruits bright synth to the cautious and thundering rocker.
A consistently strong listen, some of the best tracks reside later in the disc, such as the ultra memorable “Ride The Clouds”, which rivals the best work by Iron Maiden or Dio, and the dramatic “St. Petersburg”, where a light and airy backdrop runs alongside a kinetic rhythm section. The album ends on the biting and turbulent “Forgive Me Father”, where guitar solos and dynamic interplay between the long running outfit reinforce just how much talent is present.
A record the encapsulates many different facets of heavier music, power metal, classic metal, hard rock and even traces of classic rock are alive here, and when you add fantastic guitar work and thoughtful subject matter, you get a listen that all fans of abrasive music should be paying attention to.
Travels well with: Rezet- Deal With It! Chris Caffery- The Jester’s Court