Modern Gothenburg-style bands that don't suck

[Death Aflame]

I've been on somewhat of a melodeath binge lately. Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum have been my bands of choice. The former because the songwriting is extremely strong (especially Across the Dark and Above the Weeping World) and the lyrics are honestly fucking decent, and the latter because of they pull off a really unique blend of atmosphere and melodic riffing. Unfortunately, OG's lyrics are meaningless crap for the most part, but the music is almost cinematic in scope when compared to the one trick pony that is the Gothenburg 'scene'.

So yeah, talk about Gothenburg/melodeath/melodic death bands that don't suck here.

 

[celestialelixir]

Insomnium is great. I love both of the albums you mentioned, but haven't listened to the other two as much. Omnium Gatherum. Eh. I like The Redshift but the older stuff isn't great, imo. I am somewhat hyped for their upcoming release though, as I heard Dan Swano is producing it and offering some of his vocal talents on a few songs.

 

[Death Aflame]

OG's career can be summed up thusly:

Spirits and August Light. Holy nut fuck is this good, perhaps the pinnacle of the melodic death genre period. How the are they going to top this?

Years in Waste. They'll top it by shitting the bed, apparently. To be fair, I've given this one more time than others are probably willing to, but there is some seriously good material here, it's just buried a bit under disjointed compositions that are needlessly complex. It grows on you though.

Stuck here on Snake's Way. BOOORRRRRRIIIIIINGG. Not something I usually say about OG, but the material here is so middle of the road that I can hardly sit through the whole album at any given time. The new vocalist is nice, but other than that I was pretty much ready to give up on them here.

The Redshift. They did it, they finally found their way back to creating an album as rock solid as Spirits, it just took them 5 years.

So yeah, inconsistent band, no doubt.

 

[Einherjar86]

I don't really consider Insomnium as "Gothenburg" style. They're more similar to the Finnish goth/melodeath scene; but still great band.

I've actually been listening to Suidakra's Signs For the Fallen a lot lately. It's their Gothenburg-esque effort, and it's really good.

 

[Death Aflame]

I'll check it out.

FYI, I was using the terms melodeath and Gothenburg interchangeably. If you don't mind my asking, what do you perceive to be the difference between the two?

 

[Einherjar86]

I think there's a difference in the percussion. Bands like In Flames and Dark Tranquillity have a more driving, energetic drum sound, whereas Insomnium often seems to go for a less abrasive, more sweeping style. This is all just my opinion, of course, and I'm going from memory.

Also, Insomnium seems, to me, to have more of a "goth-influenced" sound. I'm not really sure how to qualify this, but I'd lump them in more with bands like Amorphis, Barren Earth or Be'lakor instead of In Flames, Dark Tranquillity or At the Gates.

 

[Enemy242]

wouldn't this go in the recommendations forum?

anyway there's a couple I can think of:

Mygrain (not their first album Orbit Dance but the other 2 are good and atmospheric semi industrial melodic death)

Nightrage

Degradead

Threat Signal (some might hate this due to the clean vocals and hooks)

Mercenary (earlier ones not so much but later ones yes except the clean vocals in chorus's)

Mors Principium Est (really fucking good)

 

[Death Aflame]

I think there's a difference in the percussion. Bands like In Flames and Dark Tranquillity have a more driving, energetic drum sound, whereas Insomnium often seems to go for a less abrasive, more sweeping style. This is all just my opinion, of course, and I'm going from memory.

Also, Insomnium seems, to me, to have more of a "goth-influenced" sound. I'm not really sure how to qualify this, but I'd lump them in more with bands like Amorphis, Barren Earth or Be'lakor instead of In Flames, Dark Tranquillity or At the Gates.

I see what you mean, but you're splitting hairs. Not to discount the relative uniqueness of what individual bands bring to the table (Insomnium clearly drawing on goth influences in addition to the melodic death metal style, OG on prog, pop, etc.), but I think it is a matter of degree not type; especially so if the primary difference comes down to percussive style.

 

[celestialelixir]

I really don't know the difference between Gothenburg melodeath, melodic death, etc. Don't really care either. I call it all Melodic Death Metal

 

[Death Aflame]

I'd forgotten about Mors Principium Est and Be'lakor. Both are great bands for sure. Though I think MPE dropped off a bit after Inhumanity. They also haven't released anything in ages.

 

[damnromulans]

Nothing helpful to contribute, I need to expand my collection though and this stuff sounds right up my alley. I enjoy older In Flames, Mercenary, Dark Tranquility kinda sorta sometimes, and Hypocrisy.

 

[Doomguy]

I enjoy older In Flames, Mercenary, Dark Tranquility kinda sorta sometimes, and Hypocrisy.

+1

The only In Flames release I really fell in love with though was Colony.

 

[Psychonaut]

You could give Compos Mentis a try as well.

 

[Krow]

I just cant get into this kinda stuff at all.

 

[celestialelixir]

 

[Death Aflame]

krampus, check out Eucharist if you haven't already. The first album is weird spacey dark melodic death metal and the second is a more typical melodeath affair, but well composed.

 

[Einherjar86]

I see what you mean, but you're splitting hairs. Not to discount the relative uniqueness of what individual bands bring to the table (Insomnium clearly drawing on goth influences in addition to the melodic death metal style, OG on prog, pop, etc.), but I think it is a matter of degree not type; especially so if the primary difference comes down to percussive style.

Well, Insomnium is surely influenced by the Gothenburg scene, but I don't think they play it like, for instance, In Flames and At the Gates. I think you can hear clear differences between them and the latter two bands.

Who the fuck is this? I keep seeing it all over the place.

 

[celestialelixir]

Who the fuck is this? I keep seeing it all over the place.

Tried to hotlink an image.. I guess that happens. Anyway I replaced it. It's Gates of Ishtar.

 

[Einherjar86]

Ha, oh okay. Well, it's happened often enough to convince me that it was actually the cover of a band's album.

And now I feel retarded.

 

[celestialelixir]

Ha, oh okay. Well, it's happened often enough to convince me that it was actually the cover of a band's album.

And now I feel retarded.

No worries.. Same here. I'd seen it in now playing and such and was like wtf... Then I refreshed this thread seeing the image thinking it was someone else's just to find it was my own.
Anyway, it's just that site's way to prevent image embedding and whatnot.

I feel dumb too ._.