Artist: The Unguided
Title: Hell Frost
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Release Date: 2nd December 2011
Label: Despotz Records
Album Review
THE UNGUIDED should make Melodic Death Metal fans especially excited because it is basically the reunion of the original SONIC SYNDICATE. For those who felt that the last album from SONIC SYNDICATE was utterly terrible due to the lineup change as well as a change in musical direction, THE UNGUIDED includes both original vocalists and basically picks right up where the last ‘decent album’ left off. As a result, SONIC SYNDICATE fans know exactly what to expect as far as melodies go and the dual play between harsh vocals on the chorus and clean vocals on the verses, sometimes layered to great effect. One thing to note about this debut - ‘Hell Frost’ - is it is a bit more electronically influenced than the former SONIC SYNDICATE, giving overall a more Industrial / Gothic Metal feel to the music, but that only makes it more intriguing. Tracks like ‘Inherit The Earth’ are sure to stick in fans’ heads for days while the interplay between beautiful keyboards on ‘Betrayer On The Code’ with the Heavy Metal styled guitars show an excellent balance between brutality and melody. Of course on the other hand there are a few tracks like ‘My Own Death’ which feel like they were ripped directly out of the SONIC SYNDICATE discography and re-tweaked a bit to make it a new track, but the music is still extremely catchy so fans- new and old- shouldn’t mind at all.
‘Serenade Of Guilt’ switches the vocal roles, letting the clean vocals have a stronger presence here and also does an excellent job at layering both harsh and clean together for some great effects. ‘Green-Eyed Demon’ experiments a bit with electronic bits on the clean vocals, but unfortunately fades them out a bit too much so they can be a bit hard to hear; still the effects bring to mind other Melodic Death Metal bands like SOILWORK who performed a similar style in the past with being keyboard heavy and also using dual vocals. ‘Iceheart Fragments’ has some strong electronic presence that makes the clean vocals seem a bit more Gothic Metal when it is not competing with the harsh ones and overall stands as probably the most electronic influenced track on the album. There is also a bonus cover of SPARKS called ‘The Miracle Of Mind’, but fans won’t really be able to tell because THE UNGUIDED goes and makes it almost pure Melodic Death Metal by pretty much keeping things the same structure, with perhaps a bit more focus on the harsh vocals this time. The original tone is pretty much stripped away, the cover still does justice. Overall, this is a welcome effort from both the Sjunnesson brothers and crew as it puts things back in perspective for those who might be lamenting the loss of SONIC SYNDICATE. While the music structure tends to stay in the “Modern Metal” form of harsh verses and clean vocals constantly, basically making every track on here sound like a former SONIC SYNDICATE single, the melodies are highly enjoyable and certainly will be appreciated.
Tracklist
01. Inherit The Earth - 4:46
02. Phoenix Down - 3:33
03. Betrayer of the Code - 5:05
04. My Own Death - 4:01
05. Serenade of Guilt - 4:33
06. Collapse My Dream - 4:15
07. Green-Eyed Demon - 4:23
08. Iceheart Fragment - 4:29
09. Pathfinder - 4:44
10. Where the Frost Rose Withers - 5:03
11. The Miracle of Mind (Spark! cover) - 4:01
Line-up
Richard Sjunnesson- Harsh Vocals
Roland Johansson- Clean Vocals, Guitars
Roger Sjunnesson- Guitars, Keyboards
Henric Carlsson- Bass
John Bengtsson- Drums
Website
http://www.myspace.com/officialtheunguided
Cover Picture
Rating
Sound: 9
Music: 9
Total: 9 / 10
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