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Rating:
9.0 |
Unanimated - Ancient God Of Evil
1994
01. Life Demise
02. Eye Of The Greyhound
03. Oceans Of Time
04. Dead Calm
05. Mireille
06. The Depths Of A Black Sea
07. Ruins
08. Dying Emotions Domain
09. Die Alone
Unanimated's debut album In The Forest Of The Dreaming Dead set the tone for their follow-up masterpiece, Ancient God Of Evil. Both albums contain melody, raw production, and excellent musicianship. That being said, Ancient God Of Evil surpasses anything the band have released with its catchy riffs and impaling guitar solos, not to mention a few other elements that were perfected since their debut.
One such element: keyboards. The keyboard work on this sophomore release deserves appraisal merely for its ability to penetrate the aggressive overtones with a morose atmosphere, a combination reiterated the following year with a certain little gem, Slaughter Of The Soul (without the keyboards, mind you). "Eye Of The Greyhound" is a perfect example of this feat, starting out slowly with an acoustic interlude before picking up speed and completely transforming into a quick-paced melodic death metal anthem, then switching back to a slower pace as the guitar solos begin (similar to The Jester Race). At The Gates? In Flames? You can be sure that Unanimated are in league!
These Swedes do an excellent job adding heaviness without sacrificing melody. In fact, "Oceans Of Time" and "Ruin" are both heavier tracks with melody to spare! The drum work is especially noteworthy during the last few songs, with "Dying Emotions Domain" the standout track for its combination of every element Unanimated are known for: demonic speed, burdensome atmosphere, ripping solos, and most importantly flow. Where the Gothenburg-era-influenced bands of today look simply to prove their guitar skills without focusing on song structure, Unanimated are very particular about how each individual track plays out from beginning to end, and where it fits overall in the album.
Some albums suffer from poor song placement; others, poor song structures. Ancient God Of Evil suffers from neither of these oversights, and in fact goes on to establish itself as one of the most purposefully rendered melodic death metal albums in the history of the genre. For lovers of this Swedish sound, be sure to check out this underrated piece of art, one that not only compares to the aforementioned bands above, but also other acclaimed acts such as Dark Tranquillity and Unleashed.
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Performance:
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10 |
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Songwriting:
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9 |
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Originality:
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9 |
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Production:
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9 |
written by Troy Killjoy | 11.02.2010 |
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
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Comments
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Users visited:
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| Good review. Perhaps I wouldn't rate it so highly myself, but it was certainly a good album from the mid-1990's, when this kind of thing was still relatively fresh and interesting. I agree that this album probably deserves more recognition. |
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Thanks Richard! It's definitely a personal classic, but that doesn't mean it doesn't compare to some of the other albums in the genre from the same time period.  |
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Written by Troy Killjoy on 12.02.2010 at 02:42
Thanks Richard! It's definitely a personal classic, but that doesn't mean it doesn't compare to some of the other albums in the genre from the same time period.
Sure, as you said in your review, it's in the same league as the mid-1990's material from At the Gates, In Flames and Dark Tranquillity, musically. Not as well known as those bands, but it deserves to be. And it also stands the test of time - as you also said, there's some good songwriting. |
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Yeh this is a great album, good review, agree with the high rating
really is an underrated album as well, doesnt get enough attention |
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