Volvo, porn and Death Metal are the traditional Swedish exports, but as I haven’t test driven any porn lately I think a review of the latest offering from Jesper Stromblad and his hairy cohorts is in order.  

So this follow up to “Soundtrack to Your Escape” continues in the style of it’s predecessors with a variant on Scando Death/ Melodic hybrid they have perfected so well. Opening with a typical straffing riff “Take This Life” is a standard double bass bass drum kick arse swift romp, Jesper’s straining vocals harking back to the halcyon days of Kreator. It certainly clears your sinuses and sets up “Leeches” which has shades of Papa Roach in the chorus but remains Swedish in origins.

“Reflect the Storm” could be 80’s Maiden and chugs along satisfyingly into “Dead End” featuring Lisa Miskovsky, (Who? Actually she’s a singer songwriter who has gone platinum in Sweden, plays drums, piano and guitar, has co-written stuff that has charted for various pop acts in Blighty) and gives this track a nice twist. She has a clarity which gives an interesting counterpoint to Jesps gruff rumbling.  

“Scream” has a ballsy opening which ticks all the boxes and will no doubt encourage the faithful to dump their heads in the bass bins. The title track changes the mood completely, power balladry Scando stylee,  proving that the band can both play and sing when the mood takes them, with an especially mean soulful guitarsound. Nice! Then it’s back on your heads as the Maiden/Kreator crossover “Vacuum” rips along, some aggressive choppy guitar with warring solos, again neatly done.

The boys are at a gallop now, the suitably subtle “Pacing Deaths Trail” is more of the same strident mayhem, arriving just behind light speed. Those with a conservative disposition, leave now. If I could make Take That “Crawl Through Knives” life would be more interesting, bags of energy and a compact chorus for this one.

Coming to the closing overs now, the pace doesn’t let up with “Versus Terminus” and “Our Infinite Struggle” keeping sticksman Daniel Svensson occupied in a race to finish first. At first glance, “Vanishing Light” appears to break the mould but yet again we return to the sub-Maidenesque lead breaks with chuggfest guitars and by now it is starting to grate my knuckles. Let the music breath chaps, it really ain't necessary to fill every available second with an assault on all fronts. As if they heard me, closer “Your Bedtime Story is Scaring Everyone” is at odds with the rest of the album, an ambient piano chill out reminiscent of Opeth, so no bad thing.

Overall, this album is OK, it lacks depth in its production and the songs do suffer from soundalike comparisons to larger acts, in the end there is nothing here to either offend or excite. Ikea Death Metal anyone?

Let us know your views on 'Come Clarity'

Track List

Take This Life
Leeches
Reflect The Storm
Dead End
Scream
Come Clarity
Vacuum
Pacing Death's Trail
Crawling Through Knives
Versus Terminus
Our Infinite Struggle
Vanishing Light
Your Bedtime Story Is caring Everyone

Line Up

Anders Friden - Lead Vocals
Bjorn Gelotte - Guitar
Jesper Stromblad - Guitars
Peter Iwers - Bass
Daniel Svensson - Drums