Independent Release/Worm Hole Death Records
Review by Tony Cannella
The Swedish Gothic/Modern Metal outfit One Without has already released a strong debut album in 2009 with “Thoughts of a Secluded Mind”. Now the band follows that up with an even bigger, relentless and focused sophomore effort with “Sweet Relief”. One Without is fronted by the duel beauty and the beast style vocals of Catrin Feymark and Kenny Boufadene. Obviously that is not a new concept, but Catrin does not provide an operatic style like so many others, instead she opts for a more mid-range, clean and crystal clear style to go along with the sheer brutality and intensity provided by Kenny Boufadene. You like melody? There are also some great moments of melodicism, in fact one of the things that One Without does so effectively is to mix moments of melody along with aggressive parts. It is all right here. From the opening song “Hunger” to the closer “This Is War”, “Sweet Relief” features a lot of cool moments. Another thing that I really loved about this album is you don’t need a lyric sheet, the vocals (both male and female) are crystal clear and you can pretty much understand every word. Highlights include: “Forget Your Pride”, “Catatonic”, “Open Wound”, “Burning With Your Hopes and Dreams” and “Leaving Traces”. One Without has really packed this release to capacity with 17-songs and 60-minutes worth of some truly memorable and potent metal. In short, there is no “Relief” from the intensity that engulfs this 2nd album from this Swedish band. I am perfectly aware that my opinion doesn’t count for a lot, but in my (not so) humble opinion, One Without are going to be huge.
Rating – 90/100
Tracklist
- Hunger
- Forget Your Pride
- Persistence
- Catatonic
- Accusing Eyes
- Souls of Thousands
- Sweet Relief
- Spit It Out
- Nothing to You
- Burned Once Again
- Pretender
- A Bright New Insight
- Open Wound
- Burning With Your Hopes and Dreams
- Leaving Traces
- Stained With Your Words
- This Is War
Line Up
- Catrin Feymark – Vocals
- Kenny Boufadene – Guitars and Growls
- Joonas Niskanen – Guitars
- Jonie Kaartinen – Bass
- Oscar Nilsson – Drums
Links
MySpace * ReverbNation * Facebook * Twitter * Site