STERBHAUS – New Level of Malevolence (CD)

Most of you know I’m not a big fan of death metal, but there’s one band that I just fucking LOVE!! Ever since I saw the video for The House Of The Dead Dwarf, which proved the level of self-distance and humor this band possesses, I just love their quirky boundary-less technical and quirky, yet quite melodic death metal. Their previous album, Angels For Breakfast… And God For Lunch really rocked my world for a long time. So, I’m happy to say that with the follow-up New Level of Malevolence, they have even stepped it up. This is bloody outstanding! I even have a soft spot for Marcus Hammarström’s evil sounding, screechy, but not painful vocals, which actually fits the music perfectly. I don’t think you’re supposed to fell happy when listening to death metal, but I have a smile on my face every time I listen to this band. The album is full of little surprises which just throw you off in all directions without warning, and I love that. Predictable? No way in hell! There are traces of classic heavy metal, death metal, thrash, prog metal, doom, polka and… you name it, and that is just in the title track alone! There’s actually one band that sometimes comes to mind, and which I also love, and that’s F.K.Ü. They both have the same level of intensity and power. Also, tell me the last time you heard neck pick-up Stratocaster being played in a thrash/death tune? This is a new level of excellence!

Janne Stark

Year: 2015

Country: Sweden

Label: Killhead

Link: www.sterbhaus.com

STERBHAUS - Angels For Breakfast... And God For Lunch (CD)

The title alone made me interested in this album. Cocky! The debut album by Swedish death merchants Sterbhaus, Hits For Dead Kids, was pretty cool, but for some reason failed to catch my attention. I did however love the video for House Of The Dead Dwarf. After having listened to Angels For Breakfast… God For Lunch three times non-stop, I definitely feel this is quite captivating. Sterbhaus successfully balances on the fence between thrash, death and progressive metal. Catchy, fast and brutal yet full of technical brilliance, great musicianship and lots of cool twists and turns. These guys are not afraid of thinking outside the box and stretching the boundaries, which they show in one of my favourites, the high-speed thrasher Frogboiler, which reminds me a bit of F.K.Ü. Here they suddenly throw in a short piece of country out of the blue. Some tracks, like Deathwizz, are just crammed with cool riffs, carefully knit together into a fully comprehensive musical weave, a big thrashy plaid. Here they also throw in a surprisingly clean funk interplay. Insane, but fucking brilliant! Marcus’ vocals are also more in the thrashy vein and not of the growly death sort, which fits my taste better. The killer production by Jonas Kjellgren is just the icing on the cake. A bloody brilliant album that definitely should attract fans of classic US thrash as well as melodic and technical death metal.
Janne Stark
Country: Sweden
Year: 2012
Label: Killhead
Link: www.sterbhaus.com

BLACKOUT METAL - demo (CDR 3tr)

Swedish metal merchants Blackout Metal is musically way more exciting than their name. There must be at least a couple hundred bands called Blackout. Tip no 1: Change the name boys! I saw the band live at the Rock Out Wild festival in northern Sweden last year and they did very well live. Opening track Addict starts it off with some really heavy, crunchy riffing topped with clean but powerful vocals. Second track starts out a bit weird, where it sounds like the bass and guitars are either not tuned the same or someone is playing something differently, or it’s just for effect. Anyway, the track reminds me of vintage thrashy Metallica, think Four Horsemen or Whiplash. Final track, Never Again, continues in the same vein. Tight, powerful and good! This band should definitely appeal to fans of good old thrashy metal in the vein of Anthrax, early Metallica, Megadeth, Testament and Vicious Rumours etc.

Janne Stark
Year: 2011
Label: none
Country: Sweden
Link: http://www.blackoutmetal.com/

CROWDBURN - Confronted (CDR)

I first saw Swedish technical thrashers Crowdburn at the excellent Rock Out Wild festival in August 2011. I was really impressed with the energy and level of musicianship from this young bunch. Well, live is always a bit different. You’re overwhelmed by the sound, the feel and sometimes when you listen back it may not have been that great. Well, now this foursome have sent me their first demo. F***in’ hell! I did like them a lot live, but this sucker rocks!! There are only three tracks here, but I hear a wide range of influences, from Pantera to In Flames, to Lamb Of God to more melodic death metal. They are not afraid to mix in some clean melodic vocals, which really lifts the chorus of the track Burning Crowd. Singer Aron Andersson has a really powerful voice, but also with a nice variety. Guitarist Christoffer Lindmark also impresses with his cool technical chops, which is something that goes for drummer Andreas Grehn as well. Of course, heavy bass player Jonathan Holmgren needs to be mentioned as well, especially for his technical shredding in Pictures, a song that really mixes styles. This is a really competent and well oiled machinery that produces something I find quite innovative in this musically crowded world. I’d be surprised if they weren’t picked up by some label soon. This is really good, I must say! Plus, they really shine live, as well.
Janne Stark
Label: D.I.Y pro-printed CDR
Country: Sweden
Year: 2011
Link: http://www.crowdburn.se/

Suicide Nation - "Jesus Crisis" (CD)

Swedish heavy thrashers Suicide Nation made their debut in 2005, entitled “Evilution”, and the follow-up “Vaya Con Chaos” came two years after. Keeping the two-year sequence, they unleashed their third effort late 2009. It’s however definitely not too late to review it! I hadn’t heard their earlier releases when their third effort ended up in my mail box. Now I have to get those, too, because this friggin’ rocks!!! Imagine a mix of Black Label Society, Mustasch, Spiritual Beggars and Soilwork. Heavy, raw, skullcrushing metal with a touch of thrash mixed with a fat stonerish vibe. These guys know how to write earth shattering riffs! It’s however not without dynamics which shows already in the second track “Holy Book, Holy Lies, Holy Water” with its clean guitar parts thrown in. They’ve also got a really cool heavy groove going on, which they prove in stomper “The Load”. The track “Hypocrite” sounds quite a lot like LOK but with more melodic vocals and in English and with a guitar solo. Killer track, indeed! Daniel Löfgren is a rough edged singer with a broad vocal spectrum, from cool soft almost bluesy vocals, like in the melodic “God Is Not The Answer” (hmm… do I sense a lyrical theme here?) to pure brutal gutsy roars like in opener “Remains”. At times he reminds me a bit of Spice (ex-Spiritual Beggars) but with a bit more variation. This is all in all a really evenly strongs album. No classics maybe, but definitely not any fillers. Each track has its own right to be there and fills its purpose, which is to make this one solid rocker of an album. Great production, too! Highly recommended indeed!

Janne Stark

Year: 2009

Label: Godsize

Country: Sweden

Link: http://www.myspace.com/suicidenationswe