Degradead - Out of Body Experience(2009)

As we said in The Armegeddon Anthem review, Sweden has set its future bright as melodic death metal. Along with Zonaria, Degradead is truly a great band, with so many young people playing. I mean, come on, what can people think of you when your debut album was produced with the help of the Jester himself, along with Peter Iwers, and your second album was produced in Studio Abyss. Yes, that famous studio, run by Peter Tagtgren, who, in my opinion, is the god of melodic death. And I'm lucky to review such an album now. 1 year after "Till Death Do Us Apart" the energetic band Degradead returned with a what-we-can-call masterpiece like album.

The sound is not very different from the first album, meaning they are keen to stay on the genre, unlike Zonaria, who has drifted off a bit to black metal. That is good news for the melodeath fans. Sehlin(Mikael)'s vocals remain ever the same aggressive, and his cleans are much better than the debut album, as in "Future is Now". The single "Wake the Storm" having a video much like the infamous Prodigy song, "Smack my Bitch Up", is one of the best songs on the album, a good choice for video as well. Sehlin uses his growls and screams exceptionally on this album, probably got a great amount of help from the master, Tagtgren.

The song styles remain very much the same, like Predator's Portrait of Soilwork, but less keyboard elements and those tone shit. So if you dislike keyboard in a melodeath, but don't mind clean vocals, this album is tops for you. An instrumental song is included as well, under the name of "Transmigration". It starts with a acoustic guitar but ends with some growls with guitar riffs, so the name speaks for the song. But it's not the only song with acoustic guitars. "Illusion" also has some pieces of acoustic guitar usage, which is in fact a great addition to the song. Along those softness, we have shredding "VXR" a blast of energy, with non-stopping tempo, so the band makes sure we listen to every kind that they can offer.

I despise clean vocals myself, but I must say, Degradead, thanks to Tagtgren,has mixed all those elements into a great album, and show that they deserve the title given to them by Jesper Strömblad, aka the Jester, "the future of the melodic death metal". I would suggest to all melodeath listeners to watch and listen of course this group very closely.

Song List:

1- All is Gone

2- Wake the Storm

3- Achieve the Sky

4- Everlasting Hatred

5- Depths of Darkness

6- VXR

7- Future is Now

8- Transmigration

9- The Burning Orchid

10- Almost Dead

11- Dream

12- Illusion

13- Suffering

14- Unfortunate

Zonaria - Infamy and the Breed(2007)

For this one we scope Umea, a town in Sweden, in the eastern side, far from Stockholm, and even further than Göteborg. But I am sure that the sound isn't. As the creator of the genre, Sweden has the right to be proud of every Melodic Death Metal band that spawns every now and then. In Zonaria's case, Sweden has set its future bright. Oldest member being born in 1987, same age as myself here, the band already sounds like their fathers of the genre. Quite an accomplishment for the debut album.

The album starts with "Infamy" a mood-setting piece, with a small riff and a greeting. We face quite the riffs here, with melodies of course, and high tempo drum beats, with accompanied by Simon Berglund, one of the best vocalists I've listened. I hope his fate does not resemble that of Anders Friden, who now does little or no screams and growls at all. While we get familiar with the album, it hits us with its first single, "The Armageddon Anthem" who also has a video here. Other great songs follow this one, especially "Rendered In Vain" and "Image of Myself". The lyrics of course reflect death, and one's self with of course some elements of chaos and destruction. Quite the death metal lyrics as you can imagine. Guitar riffs are ever as delightful, as seen in "The Black Omen". The album finishes with "Everything is Wasteland" another great song, which in fact makes a great ending for the album. Although I have listed pretty much a lot of positive comments here, I must say that the band has created a sound of its own, which is a great plus in originality. Of all these swarming bands in Sweden, most of them just try to be another In Flames, Dark Tranquility or Hypocrisy, but Zonaria really tried to just be Zonaria.

It may have some or little flaws, not that I can see at the moment but I would not hesitate to say that "Infamy and the Breed" is one of the best debut albums I've listened, in fact I can only compare Nebularium of Disarmonia Mundi with it.

Song List

1- Infamy

2- The Last Endeavor

3- Pandemic Assault

4- The Armageddon Anthem

5- Rendered In Vain

6- Image of Myself

7- Evolution Overdose

8- Attending Annihilation

9- Descend Into Chaos

10- Ravage the Breed

11- The Black Omen

12- Everything is Wasteland