Here we have the latest entry into the Swedish Melodic Death Metal subgenre. Twelvestep brings their own brand of swedish metal to the table, with a sound and style that is immediately reminiscent of Soilwork and In Flames (obviously), and of course, there are similarities to other newer swedish bands like Sonic Syndicate.

What easily sets Twelvestep apart from their peers though, is the level of aggression they incorporate into their sound. Despite the melodies and the clean vocals that come into play, there is a hint of Pantera/Machine Head-esque groove to their style that is not common with bands coming from Scandanavia. Sure, Soilwork does have a certain rhythmic style that takes cues from Bay Area thrash with a mean groove, but they've never done it entirely in this fashion. For all the American bands that stole sedish death metal melodies and added them to american metal, Twelvestep have now turned the tables by adding some wicked american metal grooves to their swedish blend of aggressive metal.

Another good thing to take note of is that vocalist Lenne Nilsson doesn't sound like a clone of Speed Strid or Anders Friden, which has been the case with some of the bands coming out of Sweden and their neighboring countries. He has his own vocal style, and does well with the variations between aggressive screaming and clean singing.

Musically, this album is definitely all Metal, and while some may feel that the Swedish scene is beyond oversaturated with the whole "Melodic Death Metal" thing, it's no different from the disgustingly overdone deathcore trend that has been sweeping the U.S. for the better part of the past two years now. It's easier to appreciate something that at least has elements of thrash and death mixed in with melodies, than it is to stomach another pig squeal with 1,000mph blast beats.

Twelvestep is obviously not going to amaze you, or be the next big thing. They're not doing anything that's entirely original (but then, who is), and they're likely not trying to. They're good at what they are doing, and for a debut album, it's solid as can be.

If you're a fan of the Swedish melodic death metal scene, including the bands that incorporate clean vocals (not just fans of Amon Amarth or Arch Enemy), then do yourelf a favor and check out Twelvestep. You aren't likely to be disappointed.