After 11 long years of "occult practice,
murder sentences, scandals, Satanic crimes, media boycott
and censorship, violence, death and chaos," (From the band's
official bio) Sweden's melodic death metal gods Dissection
have returned with Reinkaos. Yes, it's been more
than a decade since the band's last studio album, 1993's Storm
Of The Light's Bane, now a death metal classic.
Upon hearing Reinkaos, one thing is for certain:
Dissection are out to show everyone how to do it and do it
right. While the disc offers nothing new to the genre, Reinkaos shows that Dissection are still a force to be reckoned with,
even after the long hiatus. The dark acoustic intro of "Nexion
218" leads us in to an epic mixture of black and melodic death
metal. Lead vocalist/guitarist Jon Nödtveidt spews forth
his vocals in a raspy, almost black metal style, which so
many bands have copied since. Dissection may have actually
taken a cue from more recent acts by infusing melody and some
rather memorable choruses on tracks such as "Starless Aeon,"
probably the best song of the album. Other tracks follow a
similar formula. "Black Dragon" and "Dark Mother Divine" are
more mid-tempo but deliver with the same impact. The
instrumental title track, the blistering "Internal Fire" and
the album's closer, "Maha Kali" (featuring female backing
vocals), are all standout tracks. Acoustic interludes and
even a hint of electronics are also thrown into the mix. The
guitars absolutely shred, with some of the most melodic and
evil riffs from any death metal act.
Fans of In Flames, At The Gates, Hypocrisy and melodic Swedish
death metal might find Reinkaos to be a masterpiece.
Dissection surely prove that after 11 years, they still can
deliver. The band takes their own pioneering sound and combines
it with new elements. So many band's in the genre have emerged
since Dissection's last release in 1993 that it may be easy
to blend Reinkaos in with the rest. But at first
listen, I can say that this is a near perfect outing for the
band. Is Reinkaos a masterpiece from living legends
or merely a band doing what they do best? Only repeated listens
will tell. |
