Artist: Unleashed
Label: Century Media Records
Release Date: 9/7/04
|
|
Title: Sworn Allegiance Artist: Unleashed Label: Century Media Records Release Date: 9/7/04 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
|
3 | ||
|
3 | ||
|
3 | ||
|
| |||
Abyss's Review:
Unleashed return with the follow-up to their 'comeback' album, Hell's Unleashed. Sworn Allegiance sticks with the classic Stockholm sound, but thickens and speeds it up sporadically, or at least compared to their last record. I'm liking this record just a little more than the last one, but it definitely remains on the same wavelength, which is fine by me.Unleashed are nothing if not a solid band. They were never my favorite in the genre, but I must admit I'm always a little happy when I get a new album of theirs in my grimy little paws. And while I could say I'm disappointed by the fact that this record doesn't excite me as much as the recent output from Grave and Entombed, the simple fact is that this album is serving its purpose, and for that the average death metal fan should be grateful.
"One word review: Frosty." The lyrics are an ode to all things Nordic, desolate, and metal. The music is eternal winter with head pounding rhythms that satiate the death metal jones while the listener hears about longships and metalheads. The lyrics remain over the top and one-dimensional, but they're a bit less cheesy than the last album (or maybe I'm just a bit more tolerant), and even offer a tribute to the band's fans with the song "Metalheads."
There are a few tracks that really smoke on here, but there is also some filler. The end result is that it is a solid record for fans of the genre, and the Unleashed faithful should be satisfied. One word review: Frosty.
Death's Review:
This is a big improvement over Unleashed's last album, Hell's Unleashed. While there is still the trademarked lyrical punk feel and trademarked Unleashed sound, I feel the riffs are more razor-sharp, the songs are catchier and better written, and the stuff comes off less goofy than it did last time around. In fact, the first few songs out of the box are fairly headbang worthy. Sure, I can still goof listening to tracks like "CEO" (do they really think some big corporate executive is going to listen to this song and realize the error of his ways and change his outlook on life, or is this just meant to vent on the idiocy of this type of individual to make the rest of us proletariat feel better?), cringe at the necrophilliactic chorus of "Only the Dead," and love shouting along with silly glee to the chorus of "The Longships Are Coming." So don't get me wrong, this album is not to be taken too seriously. But the underlying metal served up from the veteran death metallers is a notch better this time around, and for that Unleashed deserve some measured praise.
"This is a big improvement over Unleashed's last album, Hell's Unleashed."
Hel's Review:
We,ve all heard the old saying, "absence makes the heart grow fonder," and I've decided there may indeed be something to that. When the new Unleashed album came my way, despite my negativity when I walked away from Hell's Unleashed, I found myself interested and maybe even a little excited to hear it. And I recall my impressions of spinning Sworn Allegiance for the first time vividly; I was surprised to find that it immediately impressed me, and I was much farther into it before the lyrics started making me giggle. A definite improvement over what I recall from last time, and more than I had expected from this.
"A definite improvement over what I recall from last time, and more than I had expected from this." Now, don't get me wrong, the lyrics are still really, really funny. But the music on the whole strikes me as stronger, and the repetition in the lyrical content that I complained about the last time around is not nearly as noticeable. Frankly, I think one of the reasons the last album stuck with me so strongly is because of the comical lyrics, and I was not only expecting it this time around, I was kind of looking forward to it. And in that sense, Unleashed definitely delivered, with gems like, "I only fuck the dead" and "the longships are coming!"
I now know that you must appreciate the comedy of Unleashed's lyrics in order to enjoy their albums fully, and coming in with that spirit helped me enjoy this record much more overall. Since the last one is the only record I know, I cannot proclaim that old school fans will enjoy this album - but I can say with absolute certainty that those who enjoyed the last record will absolutely love this one. Sworn Allegiance is musically stronger and lyrically a little less silly, and overall, I have to give Unleashed a lot of credit for putting out an album that clearly came straight from their rusty metal hearts.
[- Metal Judgment Home -] [- Email Metal Judgment -]
©1999 Metal Judgment. All rights reserved.