Those veterans are their own worst enemy.
On its own, their debut World Without God was an OK if inessential death metal album. But since it was unleashed in 1991 as one of the very first full-lengths of the genre in Finland next to Funebre and Amorphis, it was later reinterpreted as a forefather of the whole movement, a weight that proved to be too heavy to carry. They spared no effort branching out though and after tackling death’n’roll on 1994’s Reflections, they’re aiming for the stars here after the disappointing and pedestrian Evil Prevails that put an end to their 18-year-long hiatus in 2013.
Boosted by a surprising psychedelic dynamic, their fourth full-length is mostly constructed on short and sharp songs driven by catchy riffs full of spacey effects. Like Alchemist before them, there’s something quite tribal and hypnotic about Cycle Of Revenge that makes it almost uplifting…
So why ruin it all by granting their ‘glorious past’ such an ill-advised concession, namely Rami Jämsä’s monotonous growl? Cut the cord for good lads, you’ll be better off without it.
