SOILWORK NATURAL BORN CHAOS
Nuclear Blast - 2002
By Rodrigo
After releasing the great A Predators Portrait, I was really looking forward to what Soilwork would come out next with. The result is Natural Born Chaos and its an infectious, cant get it out of my mind release that has simply blown me away. The band has continued on the path of mixing aggression with melody and it simply has worked to perfection with Natural Born Chaos. Plus, with the help of producer Devin Townsend Soilwork really have come to a sound of their own and should no longer be grouped with the whole "Gothenburg" sound.
The first big and dramatic improvement of this album is Björn "Speed" Strids improved vocal performance. His use of the clean voice is much better than before and this added range definitely lets the band try new things. "The Flameout" has heavy and harsh verses but the chorus features some of the best vocal melodies to come out from a melodic death metal singer. In the intense and heavy "Natural Born Chaos", right before the second and third chorus, there is change of music and singing that is totally unexpected. Speed breaks out the clean singing and there are some great keyboards in the background. "As We Speak" is another song that features prominent keyboards and with these couple of instances and other ones through out the album, I just couldnt picture Soilwork without keyboards. They add depth and its another element that allows the band to explore and to try different things. Everybody say it with me: Keyboards and metal do mix! However, if you are looking for a complete heavy song then no look no further than album opener "Follow the Hollow". This is probably the heaviest song in Natural Born Chaos and one of the best. The frantic pace of the verses mixed with the slower, guttural and anthem-like chorus makes for a fun listening experience. "Black Star Deceiver" is another excellent song that features Devin contributing his vocals to perform a cool duet with Speed. It is a great combination and the melodic chorus helps in giving the song a break before heading out to the fast and furious verses. Plus, the guitar solo is the best in the entire album.
That brings me to one of the other differences between this album and the last one, that the guitar playing is not as flashy, instead its more refined. Sure, there are still some great riffs, leads and solos but Natural Born Chaos is not a full out twin-guitar attack like A Predators Portrait was.
If A Predators Portrait was the album that began to separate Soilwork from the rest of the similar sounding band, then Natural Born Chaos should fully place them in a place to their own. This is different, this is exciting, this is catchy, this is heavy, this is melodic, this is aggressive, this is Soilwork and its excellent!
Nuclear Blast Website
Soilwork Official Website
Nuclear Blast - 2002
By Rodrigo
After releasing the great A Predators Portrait, I was really looking forward to what Soilwork would come out next with. The result is Natural Born Chaos and its an infectious, cant get it out of my mind release that has simply blown me away. The band has continued on the path of mixing aggression with melody and it simply has worked to perfection with Natural Born Chaos. Plus, with the help of producer Devin Townsend Soilwork really have come to a sound of their own and should no longer be grouped with the whole "Gothenburg" sound.
The first big and dramatic improvement of this album is Björn "Speed" Strids improved vocal performance. His use of the clean voice is much better than before and this added range definitely lets the band try new things. "The Flameout" has heavy and harsh verses but the chorus features some of the best vocal melodies to come out from a melodic death metal singer. In the intense and heavy "Natural Born Chaos", right before the second and third chorus, there is change of music and singing that is totally unexpected. Speed breaks out the clean singing and there are some great keyboards in the background. "As We Speak" is another song that features prominent keyboards and with these couple of instances and other ones through out the album, I just couldnt picture Soilwork without keyboards. They add depth and its another element that allows the band to explore and to try different things. Everybody say it with me: Keyboards and metal do mix! However, if you are looking for a complete heavy song then no look no further than album opener "Follow the Hollow". This is probably the heaviest song in Natural Born Chaos and one of the best. The frantic pace of the verses mixed with the slower, guttural and anthem-like chorus makes for a fun listening experience. "Black Star Deceiver" is another excellent song that features Devin contributing his vocals to perform a cool duet with Speed. It is a great combination and the melodic chorus helps in giving the song a break before heading out to the fast and furious verses. Plus, the guitar solo is the best in the entire album.
That brings me to one of the other differences between this album and the last one, that the guitar playing is not as flashy, instead its more refined. Sure, there are still some great riffs, leads and solos but Natural Born Chaos is not a full out twin-guitar attack like A Predators Portrait was.
If A Predators Portrait was the album that began to separate Soilwork from the rest of the similar sounding band, then Natural Born Chaos should fully place them in a place to their own. This is different, this is exciting, this is catchy, this is heavy, this is melodic, this is aggressive, this is Soilwork and its excellent!
Nuclear Blast Website
Soilwork Official Website
