With their latest album, the highly anticipated 'Sworn To A Great Divide', Soilwork have easily solidified themselves as Sweden's finest. The album's first week sales and spot on the billboard top 200 are proof enough of that, but even without those numbers and the accolades the album has received, it would still be evident based on the music alone.
Having lost their main songwriter, guitarist Peter Wichers last year, it was questionable as to what direction the band would head in, and more so what would happen to the band's sound. Despite the setback, the band went into writing mode, all the while searching for a suitable replacement. While it may have taken the band longer than usual to finish the writing process, it was more than worth the wait, as Soilwork have proven that their sound is rooted in the music they create, and not in one single person.
'Sworn To A Great Divide' is the best mix of everything the band has done previously. The huge choruses and amazing melodies are present, but unlike their last release, the band has upped the level of aggression this time around, creating an almost perfect balance between melody and brutality. It's a far cry from the masterpiece that was 'Natural Born Chaos', but 'Sworn To A Great Divide' should have been the album to follow that one.
'Figure Number Five' and 'Stabbing The Drama' were great albums in their own right, but there was more focus on melody, and the band seemed to have lost their edge for a while. Fortunately, the over-polished production has taken a backseat to a more raw, gritty sound, and that's what makes 'Sworn To A Great Divide' the perfectly balanced album that it is.
Much like 'Stabbing The Drama's' 'Blind Eye Halo', 'Sworn To A Great Divide' only has one real rager, entitled 'The Pittsburgh Syndrome'. Outside of that, you'll be hard pressed to find a ton of blast beats and ultra thrashy riffing. To their credit, Soilwork keeps a rough edge on the bulk of the tracks, never straying too far from the metal path. There are some hard rock riffs here and there, but there's more than enough grit and groove to offset that. And of course, with the help of Devin Townsend, Speed proves once and for all that he is without question one of the most capable, versatile vocalists in Metal today.
And if the cd itself isn't enough, the bonus DVD gives a little bit more insight into Speed's vocal ability. It also includes official bootleg concert footage, studio footage of the band, and the video for the first single, 'Exile'.
