Alright, so these guys can jam, and jam with a stripped down sound. No they are not exactly symphonic or fully progressive, being less of an overblown and a more gritty power metal aesthetic, in relation to many U.S. power metal bands such as
Nevermore or Steel Prophet, which is what Sweden's
Debase offers; a more grinding, doomy, and dark take on the melodies of metal, "unleashing," so to speak, an album that tends to be more down to earth, letting the grind of the guitars speak for the record's stature.
Sounding like these guys set up in the studio and just plugged in and played, putting all overproduced elements aside, making
Unleashed more raw and powerful, giving it the "live" organic vibe. But besides the organic structure surrounding the performance,
Unleashed is filled with eleven dark cuts, adding a more doom related element to the thick atmosphere that is brought forth.
Opening up with the near-stoner tempo vibe of
"Holy Caravan," it's clear that this records mood has been presented up in full force, and carries through with the next couple of cuts. Turning for quicker paced and typical power metal sound, with cuts like
"Elected," having its tempo changes and sub-epical structure, brought to the table with other cuts such as
"Schizophrenia," for which the title should tell the story of this track's sound, complete with oddball arpeggios and complex rhythmic patterns, being about as progressive as this band gets; not to mention
"Soul-Collector," yet another one of the more aggressive cuts, complete with the rhythms that punch a whole in the otherwise mood driven soundscape. The anti-ballad is the gloomy
"Symphony for the Unholy," with it's early Sabbath guitar crunch and weed soaked tempo crossed with a Goth-metal vibe; otherwise you expect the doomy thick atmosphere.
Adding to the down to earth vibe is Michael Hansson's vocals, which have the clean but yet gravely quality to them, singing his baritone without any falsettos that are obviously not needed here. If you were to put
Slayer in a room with Place of Skulls, and have them listen to Iced Earth,
Nevermore's first couple records, and Steel Prophet; as well as reducing the tempo, this is what you probably come up with.
Unleashed, with its lack of keyboards and overzealous progressions will please those who otherwise shy away from most power metal. It's defiantly a moody album to be reckoned with.
Written by
Hashman Tuesday, February 24, 2004
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