Artist: Dimension Zero
Label: Century Media Records
Release Date: 11/4/03
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Title: This is Hell Artist: Dimension Zero Label: Century Media Records Release Date: 11/4/03 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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Abyss's Review:
Jesper Stromblad and company return with another slab of European death/thrash that will keep some invigorated and some yawning. Yet another album that the metal buying public will consider ‘awesome’ or ‘done to death’, depending on their personal point of view, This Is Hell is what the listener makes of it.
The influences are all the same, taking hefty doses of Slayer and sprucing them up with a late-nineties sound, resulting in a speedy, headstrong album that moves along at a brisk and enjoyable pace, but could probably be mistaken for a number of other bands out there. And for this reason I have no problem telling you it’s a really easy album to listen to, but I don’t know if the poor student out there should really choose this record to spend his hard-earned money on.
"One word review: Solid."
"I like this shit, so sue me." On the other hand, those of us whose resources aren’t as limited would be proud to have this in our collection, spinning it often until something newer comes along and strikes our fancy. The biggest problem with an album like this is that it’s really become middle tier, but only because the bar has been raised much higher than it was only a decade ago. And while some may call it generic I can’t help but get a little psyched every time I hear the plodding intro “The Introduction To What This Is” (aptly titled, by the way, even if it does drag on a little too long) and the punishing opening of “Subsistence”. I like this shit, so sue me.
My suggestion is that if you liked their last record (Silent Night Fever), you’ll be more than happy with this record, because you know what to expect. If it irritated you, you’ll find no salvation here. One word review: Solid.
Death's Review:
According to the Morgan Freeman-type voice that dominates the killer, Slayer-esque two-minute album intro, “The Introduction to What This Is”, hell is like falling, without hitting the ground. That’s it? That doesn’t seem so bad, relative to the fire and brimstone I’d always been lead to envision. Sure, I’d rather be kicking back on a cloud being fed grapes and listening to harp music (or is that actually more like hell?), but relative to what it could be, I guess a ride on the eternal Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride isn’t all that bad. Thanks for clearing that up fellas.
"In the end, it’s pretty good – nothing wrong, nothing too amazing." Anyway, Dimension Zero, featuring In Flames guitarist Jesper Stromblad on bass, ex-In Flames member Glen Ljungstrom [Ed. - Ljungstrom has recently departed from the band.] on guitar, ex-Marduk vocalist Jocke Gothberg and Hans Nilsson on drums, are back with another album of aggressive, mid-era In Flames style Gothenberg thrash. The comparisons to Whoracle-era In Flames are inevitable, but there is a little less melody and a little more aggressiveness, while the riffs themselves are a notch less complex. The aforementioned opener sounds a lot like the slow dirgy openers that Slayer began the Divine Intervention and Diabolous In Musica albums with, but the next track, “Dimension Zero” (every good metal band has to have a self-named track, right?), speeds things up ten-fold with a speedy thrashiness that does not let up. All told, this is a good album, but it isn’t exactly great because you’ve definitely heard all of this before from many different sources and nothing on the record stands out enough to become important despite that fact. What we are left with is a platter of wholly serviceable melodic Swedish death/thrash with some cool ideas (the opener, its title and the album title, in concert with one another), some famous musicians and some metallic aggressiveness.
It’s nice to hear Jesper Stromblad get to tend to his more metal side in light of the softer elements of In Flames’ more recent output -- This is Hell is proof-positive that the man still knows the difference between death metal and pop/dance. But there isn’t enough here that this will rise above other releases to end up on anyone’s top ten of the year lists or anything, and years from now, you won’t hate this album but I doubt you’ll be coming back to it as an all-time classic either. In the end, it’s pretty good – nothing wrong, nothing too amazing.
Hel's Review:
I gotta tell you, listening to this album was definitely not hell. It was darnright enjoyable. Again as seems to be the trend these days, this album begins with a throwaway track, and as this is my newest pet peeve, I found that irritating. However, the music immediately begins to make up for it.
For whatever reason, I always need to get my complaints out of the way before I can begin to praise an album. So for those who look for the positive comments by reading the first two sentences of the second paragraph, jump down a bit to find what you’re looking for. For in my reviewing style, this is the part where I complain about the crappy production.
"A fantastic journey, yet one that holds the promise of something even brighter." And why do I always have to? This is a recurring issue for me. I listen to enough music to really appreciate great production and this album just does not have it. Too bad, as it cost them a skull in this case, as you will eventually see as my twisted logic runs its course. The faint intricate guitar counterpoint found in songs like “Immaculate,” hint at what this album could have been. The potential brilliance is, instead, buried under white noise. I love distortion or I would not be a metalhead, but overuse can cloud a recording, as it has here.
"The potential brilliance is, instead, buried under white noise." Still, what finally finds its way through my speakers is thrashy melodeath beauty. The guitars are masterful and the songs are excellently crafted. The vocal line draws you into the web, the spidery notes from the guitars entrap you, and then the bass and drums pummel you to death.
A fantastic journey, yet one that holds the promise of something even brighter. I feel that somehow, there is better yet to come, and my ears yearn to hear it. So I clutch the fifth skull and stamp my small foot in a fit of fury, wanting to hear more now. Pouting will do me no good this time, but I hope that, somehow, this band manages a tour of the U.S. one day. Until then, I’m holding onto the fifth skull as ransom for the next record.
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