By Rob Kachluba
Soilwork are back with a vengeance.
After the last few so-so albums they have bounced back with a perfect blend of what made A Predator’s Portrait and Natural Born Chaos the albums that they were. Opening cut “Late for the Kill” opens up with a blast beat and then proceeds to thrash throughout the whole song ala The Chainheart Machine. Speed sounds pissed. Next up “2 Lives Worth of Reckoning” has a wicked slick chorus. Not too sugary but just the right blend of aggression and melody. This whole album really flows well and one cannot help but feel how much returning member Peter Wichers has helped this band regain its podium atop the melodic death metal field. There seems to be a quite a few slower numbers then previous outings, but it helps mix up the pace. Track eight “Epitome” even has an Alice In Chains groove going on. Also worth mentioning is the fantastic drumming and great lead guitar work. After the huge letdown of Dark Tranquillity’s latest album We Are The Void it is really good to see Soilwork back on their game.
(Nuclear Blast)
Rating: 8.0
