Dismember

For any band to survive 20 years is an extremely notable achievement indeed, but for a death metal band to survive 20 years is simply amazing. It is easy to forget that throughout the 80's, a time many associate with the true birth of metal, the genre of death metal developed...peaked...and thrived. Pioneers of the hallowed genre, Swedish death metal band Dismember, are old-school both by name and by nature. The band formed in 1988 which, incidentally, happens to be the same year as Iron Maiden released "A Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son" - just to give you an idea of the time period we are dealing with here! This year they have released a new album which they have titled "Dismember"; a strange occurrence as, in the metal scene as a whole, we are more used to self titled albums being released early in the career of your average band. I guess that after 7 previous full length albums you could just about excuse them for running out of perhaps more imaginative ideas! I was just hoping the album didn't ruin the enormous respect which the band now demands of the entire scene...

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed when the opening song began. I know death metal hardly has a reputation for being a civilised genre but even with that in mind, the track seemed disorganised and lacked any great structure. A style I have come to expect from the emo influenced bands arriving on the scene, definitely not something I would wish to see from a 20 year old Gothenburg death metal band. Anyhow, while first part of the song had me unhappy, my mood lifted as soon as a new riff emerged, followed by a short solo from the guitar, and suddenly the negative perception lifts. There are no other bad songs on the album; that's not to say that they all amazed me because only 2 had that effect, most of the others were merely average. The guitar solos ware amazing, but after 20 years I think that an album should boast more than the solos. Don't get me wrong, they are great solos, but have we not come to expect that from the Swedish legends? As I fan I suppose I was looking for something more in this album...however, I must move on to the two songs that really stunned me. "Under a Bloodred Sky" was the first and possibly the best of the two; the raw power of the opening was enough to suggest to me that I was in for a treat with this song. It is not the opening however that really makes this song what it is to me. Hypocritically contradicting my earlier claims, it is the instrumental guitar that really completes this song. This is not all solo however; for the last two minutes of the track we are delighted by an epic duel guitar section which is truly beautiful (however strange that may sound in the review of a death metal album!). The second song which I loved is called "Tide of Blood". After my favourite riff on the album we hear a solo before the vocals have even emerged! When they do we have an insanely powerful track which - and trust me on this one - will not leave your head no matter how much you try to forget that opening riff...

Overall...an average album from a brilliant band which, in my opinion, has been saved by the addition of two of the best songs I have heard in death metal. I wouldn't be so harsh if I hadn't heard all of the preceding albums that these lads have created. It doesn't compare. An album to check out, although I would recommend trying to find a sample of some of the songs on the album to listen to before buying it.