Souldrainer – Reborn
Those of you who don't always have the time and patience for death metal may be surprised with this band. In fact if you enjoy the epic instrumentals of Isis and Capricorns you will probably enjoy this band too. At first glance I assumed they were more death obsessed play as heavy as you like growling Swedes. But I was pleasantly surprised and so might you be.
The debut offering 'Reborn' from the Swedish natives Souldrainer is a highly polished and extremely well thought out full-length death metal release. It is a particularly dark and intense offering with a distinct feeling of sadness and despair. The lyrical content deals with emotional and draining issues, such as death, loss, and the pain of being alone in this world.
It is also a very well produced album and surprisingly catchy even for those who would not usually listen to death metal. In parts the melodic instrumentals take over and transform the album into a relaxing listen, almost hypnotic in places, making Reborn very accessible. Apparently the band have been around in some form since 1998, so this could explain the quality of work gone into this release. In other words it has the maturity and confidence that many debut albums lack.
Musically the vivid contrast between the dark and the light runs throughout the album with the beautiful and angelic sounds of the choir together with synth melodies running underneath the unearthly deathlike vocals. It seems like a strange combination of sounds but when put together it provides an almost spiritual epic noise. With most of the tracks at mid tempo teamed with the thunderous sound parts of this album can feel a little dirge-like. As if wading through thick swamps and not getting where you want. This definitely pushes the overall theme of sadness and frustration.
Tracks such as the hymn-like 'Daemon To Daemon' shows Johan Klitkou screaming with intensity. His deep growls are full of ferociousness and anger which are expressed in his lyrics "I feast on your guts you fucking whore" At the same time there is a beautiful underlying melody that without the vocals would remind you of an Isis track. Although it is a strange contrast of melody and blatant anger and frustration, it is also soothing.
Really this album is great for anyone that wants to explore the Scandinavian death metal scene but cannot find anything musically to grab onto.
Souldrainer have that hook to grab onto and they'll probably take a few people with them because of it.