Artist: Unleashed
Label: Century Media
Release Date: 8/6/02
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Title: Hell's Unleashed Artist: Unleashed Label: Century Media Release Date: 8/6/02 |
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Abyss's Review:
I must admit that Unleashed have been off of my radar screen for a good while. In fact, I wasn't even sure they were still together. Were there lyrics always this cheesy? I mean, I rarely ever pay attention to the lyrics, but they are so decipherable here that it's impossible to miss a word. I realize that these guys are Swedish and that they are not singing in their native tongue, but come on! Their rhyme schemes and imagery are rivaled in their inanity only by those of Manowar.
"This band is all about the guitars, and I got to respect that because they outshine many of their contemporaries in that respect." I haven't really paid much attention to this band since Where No Life Dwells, and while I know I've heard Warrior at length, I can't recall it for the life of me, so it must not have made much of an impression. Hell's Unleashed is about what you would expect from this band, but it's got a few surprises. Unleashed's biggest asset are their simple, straightforward, yet infectious riffs that are the centerpiece of every song. This band is all about the guitars, and I got to respect that because they outshine many of their contemporaries in that respect. However, I remember their guitar sound being much thicker, and here they sound a bit thin. Of course, that might be because everyone and their mother downtunes now, and it sounds like Unleashed have resisted that trend. It also could be a production problem, but whatever the reason it does take away from my enjoyment.
The song that will probably have most people talking is their tribute to Venom, where they rework the lyrics from "Black Metal" and come up with "Death Metal." I actually like the old school play on this song, as it's obviously from the heart and full of integrity, but I find Cradle of Filth's version much more interesting. But I guess that's exactly what they want; it is their intention to focus on the good old days, the way metal used to be.
"One word review: Comforting." Much like Bolt Thrower's last album, I'm digging the simplicity of this release, but I do get bored with it from time to time. I think Bolt Thrower's album, in its entirety, was more successful than this one, but I like this band's individual riffs more. End result: it's a good album, but don't go looking for any major progression. One word review: Comforting.
Death's Review:
"Join the madness or step aside!" the title track screams. I think I'll step aside. Although some of you may have been counting the minutes until the new Unleashed album, Hell's Unleashed, was, ahem . . . unleashed upon the masses August 6th, I really wasn't. Sure, classic Unleashed material such as Where No Life Dwells and Shadows in the Deep may have solidified their place in heavy metal history as early Swedish death metal classics following their re-release by Century Media last year, but I am by no means sold on this latest Unleashed endeavor. The songs are, in the end, too simple for me, and bassist/vocalist Johnny Hedlund's vocals are too "punk" for my tastes. The album as a whole comes across as an unfortunate cross between In Flames and D.R.I. - something I'm not sure the underground metal world really ever needed.
"The album as a whole comes across as an unfortunate cross between In Flames and D.R.I. - something I'm not sure the underground metal world really ever needed." Sure, the riffs are sometimes kinda cool, displaying for moments key elements of the melodic Swedish death metal sound that I really like. Opener "Don't Want to Be Born" has a cool opening/main guitar line, and I can indeed shout along with the "I! Don't! Want! To be Born!" chorus and feel good about it. But all and all, the song is too repetitive and often just seems silly. Thus the entire album feels the same way: silly sounding repetitive lyrics over simple groove riffs that taken individually each might be kinda cool, but over and over and over again, fall flat. Lyrics like "Fly raven fly . . . across the sky" or "Your souls will bleed . . . yeah, hell's unleashed" repeated four times in a row in a voice I don't really like is simply not for me.
The positive? Decent musicianship and production, a cool looking logo and I suppose enough of a sense of nostaligia in that "fun, old-school and kinda lighthearted yet totally metal" feeling that permeates the tracks. There's enough that's good here to earn a couple of skulls. But I'm personally pretty sick of this album, and unfortunately I'm not leading the charge of death metal warriors that is psyched for Unleashed's return. I simply don't get it, I guess.
"There's enough that's good here to earn a couple of skulls... but I'm personally pretty sick of this album."
Hel's Review:
Despite the obvious comedic value the title track has provided me (heh, heh - I'm Unleashed!), at the end of the day, I find this record far more annoying than anything else. Despite the press release's claim that these "14 new songs of pure musical evil that won't leave any Death Metal warrior unimpressed…" - color me unimpressed.
"At the end of the day, I find this record far more annoying than anything else." I must come clean: Unleashed is not a band that I was previously familiar with. As obsessed as I have been with metal for many years now, there are still gaping holes in my knowledge, and I feel as though I am constantly coming across bands that I have heard of, but have never heard. And here we are again.
"With lyrics this inane, nothing can save the album short of a lobotomy for the listener." The things I had heard about this band were mostly positive, and based on that, I must assume that their prior records were much better. Go ask a long-time fan for a more accurate perspective in that regard. My perspective comes from this record alone, though I did listen to this record a great deal. I found that the more I heard Hell's Unleashed the less I wanted to hear it.
At this point, I can quote almost every lyric of every song verbatim, and this is the true problem. The music is well performed and quite interesting overall. The lyrics, on the other hand, are some of the most inane ever penned, in my opinion. The vocal line is one of the most intelligible growls I have ever heard, and to my ears, every word is crystal clear, and completely lacking substance. Many of the songs consist mostly of a two-line chorus repeated over and over and over.
When the lyrics are this bad, I need a lot more than incredible guitar solos and otherwise skilled musicianship. In fact, with lyrics this inane, nothing can save the album short of a lobotomy for the listener. This album gets two skulls for the initial enjoyment I garnered from it - but I wish I'd stopped about four listens ago…
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