This is some straight-forward brutal death metal from the cold arctic regions of Sweden. Formed in 1991, they put out their first full-length entitled 'Rated-X' which hasn't gotten much press, till this day. But here they back are, with this utmost chilling brutality 'Struck by a Murderous Siege'. They have sort of a blues type vibe to their metal, it's cool and rather catchy. The vocals never really change and since this is the only album I've heard from the band, I can't compare it to how they've sounded in the past. But I believe that this album is pretty fresh with good ideas on the musical front.

There are 4 members on this release, all doing a great job putting out riffs that are catchy, but brutal. That blues vibe is felt in the lead guitar and the licks are also sort of groove-laden. A lot of pinch harmonics in the riffs and muted guitar crunch-tone.

I think this band has a lot of energy, but they still know how to be brutal. The songwriting structure is quite straightforward and heavy, the vocals never change and the leads are somewhat technical (from a guitarist's point of view). Every song sort of tells a story. I'm not sure if that's what they wanted it to be like but that's what it sure as heck seems like. But their concepts consist of murders, death, gore, violence and of criminals. No surprise there with a name for a band like theirs. My guess is, stay away from reading the lyrics.

Some songs to check out are 'The Frail Illusion of Osteology', 'Cold Icy Hands' and 'Toy Box Torture Chamber'. Definitely check out this band and this album that was released in 2016. You can check it out online or pick up a physical copy if you want to continue to support heavy metal music. Great album!

Rating: 8½ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Death8699
07/25/2018 20:14