Unleashed
Where No Life Dwells

THE REVIEW

In a period when new musical realities were emerging in nearby Norway, pushing the boundaries of what had already been established by Venom, Bathory, and similar bands, with lyrics filled with goats, pentagrams, and various sabbaths, at the dawn of the '90s in Sweden, an extreme, yet extremely different scene from the Norwegian one was emerging around the city of Stockholm.

Bands like Dismember, Unleashed, Grave, and Entombed were taking their first steps. Thus was born the Swedish Death Metal (which has nothing to do with the modern atrocities of the "new" In Flames and company), a genre destined to leave an indelible mark in the history of metal. When talking about Odin was not yet a "trend" and wearing a Thor's hammer around the neck was not "fashionable," Unleashed, led by the great Johnny Hedlund, released this masterful CD.

The essence of pure Swedish Death is here, encapsulated in 11 battle tracks + bonus track. Need more? After the arpeggio of the first track, which helps to immerse in a cold and dark atmosphere like never before, with "Dead Forever" hell is unleashed. No loss of style, excellent production, and precise and powerful drumming make this CD a masterpiece, a must for every extreme metal enthusiast and especially Death Metal! In the version currently available on the market, besides the 11 tracks of the original CD, there are 6 more taken from the demo "And the laughter has died." This would be great if it weren't for the fact that out of these 6, 5 are already present on the album played better and with a decidedly better production.. Well, it's the thought that counts! However, there are two videos, one of the excellent "Before Creation of Time" which has some audio issues, and the other of the mid-tempo "The One Insane" much more professional.

Honor and glory to Unleashed and their "deus ex machina" Johnny Hedlund. We'll meet again in Valhalla.