This Is Not Goodbye is the latest offering from Swedish melodic death metallers Sarea and it’s a fine album that plays to their strengths and shows exactly what this band is capable of.
Indeed, This Is Not Goodbye is filled with so many catchy songs and hooks that it’s almost difficult to know where to look first because you really are hit with earworm after earworm as the album progresses. Opener Conform With Me sets the scene well, beginning with a little bit of ambience before the full band kicks in with a wonderfully catchy section that almost knocks you for seven, and Shattered, which sits rather nicely in the middle of the album, is one of those songs that will surely be stuck in your head for days on end.
Something that’s particularly good about Sarea is the versatility of their singer Chris, who can perform both harsh and clean vocals to a very high standard. The clean sections are smooth and controlled, with a lot of body behind them, and the harsh sections are powerfully chaotic yet not forced out, which is refreshing to hear.
Sarea have really brought it with This Is Not Goodbye and it is certainly a release they can be proud of; they’ve given it their all and it shows.
8/10
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