Artist: Lifelover
Title: Sjukdom
Genre: Depressive Black Rock
Release Date: 11th February 2011
Label: Prophecy Productions
Album Review
LIFELOVER is a depressive black metal / rock band that has been around since 2005. They take part in poking fun at the black metal side of things by taking on theatrical elements such as masks and twisted artwork along with names, but the music is far from a joke. In fact, it is quite impressive how they merge black metal, depressive metal, and rock together, drawing influences from bands that sound like DAYLIGHT DIES and SHINING. LIFELOVER are best known for their black metal rasps, catchy riffs mixed with furious tremolo picking, beautiful piano melodies, and sampling bits for a diverse album.
Some of the heavier, black metal inspired tracks are like ‘Led By Misfortune’, they are thick in reverb, feature the occasional strange spoken word sampling, and tortured, wailing vocals- sometimes they hit the right pitches, and other times, it just sounds annoying or agonizing to hear. ‘Expandera’ is a good example of the more rock influenced tracks - still heavy, but more melodic and featuring soft, rhythmic interludes, sometimes either based on guitar or piano. These also feature samples. Those looking for the most depressing track on the album will find it in “Homicidal Tendencies,” a sole piano track that goes for more of a sombre tone than depressive aggression, and works well to the band’s advantage. ‘Resignation’ is another good rock track that tends to be a bit repetitive, but engaging at the same time. ‘Bitterlijuv Kokofoni’ is another sombre track that is more for experimental purposes than anything else with the slow, percussive drums and spoken word samplings.
‘Karma’ is the best example of a merging between black metal and rock for the band, and the vocals have a good echo effect to emphasize the upbeat tones of the track, which is a rare occasion for a band as depressing as LIFELOVER. While the language changes from Swedish to English may confuse listeners, the musical quality is quite engaging for new fans just as much as the old ones. ‘Sjukdom’ may not be as monumental as their previous album, ‘Konkurs,’ but it steps away from the more humorous side of the band and into the darker one with its themes and lyrical content, which is all the better because sometimes the samplings such as on ‘Led By Misfortune’ can seem a bit random and out of place – humorously - but fans will either see it as effective or just a waste of audio. This may not be as depressing as some black metal bands or doom metal bands who know all about invoking doom and gloom, but it is certainly innovative, if not more.
Tracklist
01. Svart Galla 4:28
02. Led by Misfortune 3:07
03. Expandera 3:49
04. Homicidal Tendencies 1:44
05. Resignation 3:37
06. Doften Av Tomhet 5:03
07. Totus Anctus 3:51
08. Bitterljuv Kakofoni 4:14
09. Becksvart Frustration 4:28
10. Nedvaknande 2:51
11. Instrumental Asylum 4:52
12. Utdrag 3:17
13. Karma 4:30
Line-up
( ) - lead vocals, lyrics
B - vocals, guitars, bass, piano, lyrics
LR - additional voice, lyrics
1853 - lyrics
Website
http://www.lifelover.se/
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 7
Total: 7.5 / 10
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