Dimension Zero - This is Hell

Rodrigo

Heat in 7
Apr 17, 2001
883
3
18
Southern California
DIMENSION ZERO – THIS IS HELL
Century Media - 2003

By Rodrigo Escandon

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No longer just a side project as it was when this group was started, Dimension Zero is now the outlet for Jesper Strömblad’s heavier, more aggressive musical vision. With the addition of a second guitarist, Daniel Antonsson, the band know has a thicker and richer sound and it also allows the band to be more creative with the melodies and harmonies. What this has created is the bastard child of a band like In Flames and one like At the Gates. The combination of melody and aggression has never sounded so good!

Just like with Silent Night Fever the production was handled by Anders Fridén and the sound is more in your face than before and the same style of merging of having no pause between songs is used again. Dimension Zero have no time to waste with their presentation and they are going to pummel you as quickly as possible.

That being said, This is Hell begins with a slow and uninspiring intro song “The Introduction To What This Is” that if it were shorter I could have understood the point of it but never-the-less, right after it ends we hear Jocke yelling in his most abrasive voice “THIS IS HELL!” and the album takes off from there with “Dimension Zero”. It segues into the first highlight of the album “Immaculate” with its thrashy verses and its melodic chorus it is the perfect example of the combination of styles that I was alluding to earlier. “Amygdala” is another song that showcases this to perfection and the chorus is just tailor made for a live setting plus you have to love the “SHUT THE FUCK UP!” line that Jocke screams at the beginning of the song. “Into and Out of Subsistence” has a great opening riff, the drumming is superb and the tempo is slowed down just a bit where a great melodic solo is the highlight of this part.

Don’t let all this talk of mine of melody fool you in thinking that this is just a heavier melodic death metal album. This is Hell is the proper title for this album due to its brutal, fast and aggressive nature. It leaves you no time to rest and when it is over you will be begging for more.

Century Media Website
Dimension Zero Official Website
 
I would argue there's little grounds for comparison here as this album consciously ups the ante in their thrash metal influence, although I guess I would see the use in comparing the two albums, as they use Your Darkest Hour as a template quite a lot on this album. Still, I think both albums have seperate visions, and, besides my own preference, I think it's an album in equal or slightly lesser quality to its predecessor.