Ahead of the release of their next album, Swedish death metallers are putting out a 7″ vinyl single, which is also their first release to feature their brand new guitarist Pontus “Penki” Samuelsson.
As far as this release goes, it’s nothing new or innovative, with nothing quite making it stand out from this wholly crowded genre, but it’s decent and is easy enough to get into.
Lead track Berzerk doesn’t quite grab you on your first listen. The vocals are nice and powerful but it doesn’t sound like there’s enough meat in the instrumentation to fully back it up, and whilst you can certainly appreciate the rawness of the track, it just seems like there’s something missing and it would have perhaps benefited a little more with a stronger bass sound.
The b-side is a cover of Heavy Load’s Dreaming, which is a magnificent take on the song. There’s a wonderful aggressive tone to it, yet it still retains some of the melody of the original, which is an excellent approach to take, and the guitar solo sounds absolutely masterful.
An all-round good release, but it could have been better – perhaps they’re saving the really great stuff for the album!
6/10
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