SUSPERIA 'Cut From Stone' (Candlelight) RATING: 8.5/10

By JEFF MAKI

Susperia's last album, Unlimited, hinted at what this Norweigian band was capable of. With standout, melodic metal anthems like “Chemistry” and the eerie “Devil May Care,” the band carved out a niche for themselves with a heavy, yet melodic sound. The closest comparison I can make is to Machine Head, with vocals similar to frontman Rob Flynn's and a guitar tone not unlike that of Burn My Eyes. But on Cut from Stone, the band carves out even more of an identity. Of course, the band features ex-members of Dimmu-Borgir, Satyricon and Old Man's Child in its ranks, so their musical prowess has never been questioned.

Cut From Stone's melodic thrash fest kicks off with “More,” which is destined to be a live staple with its mosh-inducing riffs and chorus of “More! More! More!/Give me all that you got!/More! More! More!/Is that all you got?!” “Clone” and other tracks contain elements of The New Order-era Testament (Susperia recently toured with Testament). Other standouts are “Release,” “Brother,” the title track and the mammoth metal frenzy of “Distant Memory.” Thrash metal guitar soloing prevails throughout the album's 11 cuts. Wicked squeals and screeches cut through the almost nonstop chugging guitar and double-bass rhythm. The songwriting and structure is vastly improved over previous releases, and is chalk full of surprises, twist, turns and variation.

Susperia might not be considered extreme metal—certainly not along the lines of their fellow Norwegians—but you don't need corpse paint to shred. After three albums, this band has transformed itself into a legitimate metal force with memorable songs and lyrics, powerful emotions and excellent songwriting, all held together by a backbone of thrash metal played to perfection.