This Swedish group is not as well known as some of its countrymates, but it's getting there, slowly but surely. They started as somewhat of a doom/prog band (I've heard them being compared to THERION), but on "Undead" (2000), they made a shift into the traditional/power metal realm, but with a darker sound, cresting a wave of modern dark power metal (BRAINSTORM, ANGEL DUST, NOCTURNAL RITES, etc.). Its star lineup consisted of Christer Anderson (guitars), Daniel Olsson (guitars, keyboards), Anders Mold (bass), Peter Moren (drums), and a vocalist Urban Breed (his real name). The follow-ups, "Matters of the Dark" (2002) and "Modus Vivendi" (2004), both received raving reviews and solidified the band's status as one of the premier dark power metal bands in the world. However, the joy was short-lived: in late 2005, due to the artistical disagreements, Breed quit the band, joining a Swedish band BLOODBOUND. The rest of the band, after some hiatus, has recorded an album with the frontman of MORGANA LEFAY, under the moniker "INMORIA" (reviewed below).
UNDEAD (2000/2001)
BEST SONGS: "Servant Of The Bones," "Another Time Around," "Corporate Masters"
The band that has made the most progress since their last album. I have heard some of their previous doom-prog stuff from Mended Rhyme (1997), which left me completely cold, but this is something quite different. Have they taken amphethamines or something? This rocks! Dark power metal, with plenty of melody and even more rage, riffs to kill, excellent vocalist (that reminds me of Midnight and Savatage's Zack Stevens) and musicians, lush arrangements, great songwriting, all this make this album a must have. Virtually every chorus will stick to your head. "Servant Of The Bones" and "Another Time Around" are both fabulous tunes with catchy and extremely powerful choruses. "Lord On High" has one of the most terrifying intros, as the man is about to be sacrificed on the altar. I would compare the overall mood to Evergrey, but it's less gothic and more energetic. Angry "Corporate Masters" (starts out with a wicked guitar shriek) is made for headbanging, it kicks ass all the way (great lead break too). I must also mention "No Wings To Burn": an outstanding piece. Another thing worth mentioning is that Urban Breed clearly puts some efforts into his lyrics, and that is always appreciated by this reviewer. Great stuff for people who look for something new in the sea of NWOEPM.
MATTERS OF THE DARK (2002)
BEST SONGS: title track, "In The Shadows," "Another Way"
Tad Morose are clawing and tearing their way into the front row of the power metal cohorts. This album picks up right where Undead left off: with one rocking piece after another. Urban Breed is truly about to earn a spot among the vocal elite of metal, his voice sounds like a cross between x-Savatage's Stevens, x-CG's Midnight, and x-Malmsteen's Vescera. The music is the same dark power metal as on Undead, but it's faster: two songs, title track and "Another Way," are straight ahead speed metal masterpieces. Solid musicianship, good production from the guys themselves (although the drums could have been produced a notch better), excellent choruses. Speaking of choruses, one of the most dominant vocalists of the 90s, Charles Rytkonen of (Morgana) Lefay appears on two tracks: the title track and "Reason For The Ghost," and he makes me miss Lefay like nothing else. What makes this album great are the magnificent melodies on virtually every song. "Sword of Retribution," "Ethereal Soul," "I Know Your Name," "New Clear Skies," "Riding The Beast," and "Reason For The Ghost" are all excellent songs, with lethal hooks. I must specifically mention mid-tempo "Ethereal Soul" and "In The Shadows," the catchiness here is simply unbelievable. Tad Morose (and Urban Breed specifically) has mastered the art of writing terrific choruses with absolutely killer melodies. Album's highest point is "Another Way," a great, fast, anti-Nazi anthem (at least that's how I read it). This is how a speed metal song should be played: fast and catchy verse, fast and catchy pre-chorus, fast and catchy chorus. The material is strong for the entire duration of the album, this is metal of highest quality. Oh, I must also mention that several songs feature top-notch guitar solos. In a word, this is perfect dark power metal. One question I have is: why does the track "New Clear Skies," chosen by Century Media for promotion on compilations, is the ONLY song in the booklet without the lyrics? Bad marketing, guys! Now, after two years of having this album, I have no choice but assign it the highest rating. The staying power and the tremendous songwriting skills earned it this honor. Every song on this album is easily remembered. It just doesn't get any better than this.
MODUS VIVENDI (2004)
BEST SONGS: "Afraid To Die," "Mother Shipton's Words," "Life In A Lonely Grave"
Well, well, well. Looks like Swedish countrymen Falconer and Tad Morose are in the "Band of the Decade" title fight. Each band released three amazing albums since 2000, each one boasts tremendous songwriting skills and a fantastic vocalist. Of course, Falconer debuted in 2000, and Tad Morose already had 4 previous albums to their credit, but the fight is on, and only time will tell which one will step down first, by releasing a weak album.
After hearing Modus Vivendi for the first time, I thought that it was simply yet another solid work, not quite on par with MotD, but still excellent. Several months later the album gets a five-star rating and a classic status, mostly due to the complete and utter domination of Urban Breed and catchy-as-all-hell choruses. It is incredible that unlike so many metal acts these guys just don't run out of ideas for hooks! The songs are heavy, crunchy, dark, and mysterious. The reference point would be Martin-era Black Sabbath, and one should easily recognize the influence of "Law Maker" on one of "MV" best tracks, "Mother Shipton's Words." Urban Breed continues to be unstoppable, as a hybrid of Tate, Midnight, Stevens, Rytkonen, and his own unique style. What makes this album weaker than its immediate predecessors is its slight predictability. The riffs are more generic than before, and the songs are starting to follow a certain formula. The arrangements are also not exactly innovative. Fortunately, Urban Breed is there to save the day. His vocal melodies can make just about any song great, and they do. Choruses to "Afraid To Die" ("I am telling you..."), "Cyberdome" ("Was it worth it all? I don't know..."), "Take On The World" ("We shake the ground..."), "Mother Shipton's Words" ("Tyrants shall rise, tyrants shall fall..."), "Life In A Lonely Grave," and "Spirit Rules The World" ("I'm still turning in my sleep...") are simply infectious. "Take On The World" does just that: it's the band's manifesto and a plan of action, and if any power metal band can do it, they certainly can. Most of the tracks are in the mid-tempo, with occasional rev-ups, in form of "Clearly Insane" and my personal favorite "Mother Shipton's Words," but clearly the band feels most comfortable in the dark atmosphere of the gothic plodding mid-tempo sounds, where Breed can do the most damage with his pipes. A speedy duo of "Take On The World" and "Mother Shipton" can only be bested by a doomy one-two punch of "Life In A Lonely Grave" and "The Spirit." Now I just wish for the band to take a year or two off, before their bank account of ideas starts showing signs of depletion. My version of the cd comes with three bonus tracks: covers of Uriah Heep ("Rainbow Demon," excellent), Abba ("Knowing Me, Knowing You," also appeared on the Abba metal tribute, average), and Accept ("Losing More Than You Ever Had," good). A tremendous work, for vocal melodies, if nothing else.
INMORIA: INVISIBLE WOUNDS (2009)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: "Fantasy," "As I Die," "Will to Live"
Tad Morose with the Morgana Lefay vocalist? Not quite. For starters, Rytkonen's presence provides more than just voice: he is on top of his game here, dominating the music with his trademark sonic dementia and despair. But most importantly, this music is very different from what TM used to write and from how they used to sound. All music was written by the keyboarder Dan Eriksson, TM's original drummer. The music is very key-dominated, with the sound not unlike the industrial. In a handful of moments ("Will to Live" and others) there are even some techno beats and "trance" vocal effects. But don’t let this description fool you: this is pretty much as depressing as it gets. In fact, it does not let you out for a second. The overall flow is best left to individual taste: some will call it "even," others – "monotonous." What is unquestionably monotonous is the lyrics: they all talk about depression and suicide and to call them "samey" would be an insult to Sentenced. You can easily shuffle the lyrics between each and every song without anybody noticing. People, can’t you find something else to sing about, besides whining? Grown men don’t "cry themselves to sleep," come on! Also, Charles, didn’t you already have the song "The Other Side," on "Grand Materia"? Bottom line: at this juncture I enjoy this record a lot, but I can see it losing appeal in the future.
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