Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 05/13/2003
As one of
heavy metal's most technically complex and intense sub-genres,
grindcore doesn't lend itself to minimal personnel; but Sweden's
Nasum defy these precepts by taking a stab at it as a power trio! Needless to say, this accomplishment only makes the blinding precision and incredible fury captured on 2003's
Helvete (that's Swedish for 'Hell,' by the way) all the more impressive; especially when paired with the finely honed sense of dynamics displayed by the band's diversified songwriting -- in itself a challenge to
grindcore's supposedly limited creative scope. Guitarist
Miescko A. Talarczyk and bassist
Jesper Liverod duke it out behind the microphones, their turn-taking ragged screams and low-end growls lending further variety to already outstanding cuts like
"Living Next Door to Malice," "Relics" and
"The Final Sleep" -- all of which respect genre guidelines by lasting no more than one or two minutes. But it's the band's distinctive riffs and compositional intelligence over these 22 relentless tracks that make it all work, confirming
Helvete as that rarest breed of
grindcore albums: an instantly memorable one. And if all this still doesn't perk your curiosity, ringing endorsements from guest performers
Jörgen Knot Sandström (
Entombed,
Grave) and none other than
Napalm Death legend
Shane Embury should do the trick. Easily among the best
grindcore albums of the new millennium,
Helvete is an absolute winner.
~Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide
;)
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