Ελληνικά
Genre : Death Metal
Country : Sweden
Label : Doomentia Records
Year : 2014
The band from Uppsala-Sweden is trying in its second full-length to lose the vast shadow that the classic Swedish DM bands (Dismember, Entombed, Unleashed) have cast onto their previous releases. So, we can witness in their sound, which is basically old school death metal, the multiplication of the d-beat, crust & doom elements that existed in small portions in the past. The album’s production is kind of different as well, “reeking” with the cult Swedish sound which reminds us of the Sunlight Studio era, though it no longer seems like a reincarnation of Dismeber’s distinct, harsh, dried-up sound.
All the metal music branches that were mentioned above are very harmonically blended in “Ordained”, with each song giving the impression that the band has really worked on it, so that the swifts in rhythm and style will flow smoothly. On the other hand, however, there lies a big “but”, that the album’s overall feel leaves wandering in the air. The word that describes the LP’s drawback is imo “unbalanced”. There is no stability in the quality the band delivers throughout the album. The band seems like having incorporated all the clichés that define their influences and has stitched them together in an elaborate collage, which soon becomes tiresome with all its banalities. This is the point where someone could argue: “these guys play old school, what does originality has to do with it?” Well said, still that doesn’t change the fact that the album failed to thrill me and, after the third listen I was convinced that the next one would be somewhat just a drag.
I can’t rule out the possibility that the band has good future prospect, they look like they invest a lot of time and effort in what they are trying to achieve, still I think “Ordained” is not the album that is going to make them stand out.
3.5/6
