Upon returning to the metal community after getting out of prison in 2004, Jon Nödveidt (RIP 2006) put together a fresh lineup featuring him on guitars/vocals, Sethlan Teitan on guitars/backing vocals and Tomas Asklund on drums. Definitely some solid melodic death metal featured here. There are some good songs on this release, but nothing compared to 'The Somberlain' (1993) or 'Storm of the Light's Bane' (1995). Jon sings about his belief in the occult. At a young age of 31, he shot and killed himself because he felt like he did enough in this world, which is a tragedy.

The music features guitars that are mostly medium paced with thick chords and melodies. The solos could've been a little bit better played out, they're just average. But the rhythm guitar goes well with the music. Palm muted frenzies, Jon's unique voice and an average production makes 'Reinkaos' a little bit better than mediocre album. Some songs have great choruses such as 'Starless Aeon', but as a whole, the album falls a little bit short of worthiness. I'd say take out the solos and the rhythm guitars would've dominated.

Dissection didn't copy anyone on this album. Musically it's noteworthy, just not as good as past releases. There are some songs that feature an acoustic guitar which I found to definitely augment the album. Straight forth melodic death metal here, nothing else. Some songs just are totally awesome with the guitar riffs shining in sheer good spirits. As a whole, the album falls a little bit short of being a remarkable album like those in the past. But it isn't a total waste of a release, just not the best. There are a lot of songs that have a rhythm guitar with some melodies in the background.

I don't get into the lyrics because they're eerie and demonic. These writings reflected his belief in the occult. Very strange stuff. I'm assuming that he put them together while he was in prison. They're dark definitely and the music augments the demonic words Jon spewed forth. Some instrumental work which was featured on the title track. The musicianship was not at its peak though and I think that some songs should've just been omitted. Some tracks were boring and uninteresting, but as a whole 'Reinkaos' is just okay, nothing special.

The mixing I have a beef with. The bass guitar was barely heard, the leads weren't very loud, and the same applies to the melodic guitar played in the background over the rhythm guitar bits. Other than that, the rhythms were very well heard and the same applies to the vocals and drums. I think that overall, the production was solid despite these flaws. I enjoyed the album as a whole even though a few songs were monotonous especially the instrumental. The acoustic guitar was very well heard and was highly original to listen to.

As a whole, 'Reinkaos' is decent enough to purchase if you're a melodic death maniac like myself. Again, if there were no lead guitars, the album would've been much better. The solos just didn't hack it. The rhythm guitar was solid in there, but some tracks weren't very well constructed. Jon's voice was unique and appropriate for the music. On the last track there features a guest female vocalist. It was difficult to hear her though, another beef with the mixing. I would say that 'Reinkaos' is worth picking up, but it's definitely not as good as the old Dissection releases.

Rating: 7 (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Death8699
01/13/2012 10:41