There are few metal artists that need no introduction, but Sweden's Soilwork are definitely one of them. Their reputation as one of the country's finest exports (aside from herrings, Abba and porn) is well-deserved. Few bands have melded the aggressiveness of metal with genuinely catchy choruses to such impressive results.
Their mix of modern, melodic and progressive metal has created a distinctive sound spearheaded by the soaring vocals of Bjorn “Speed” Strid. Albums like 2002’s ‘Natural Born Chaos’ (produced by Devin Townsend),the supreme double release ‘The Living Infinite’ and the most recent ‘The Ride Majestic’ (their 10th studio release) have effectively built a dedicated fanbase with every successive release. "The Ride Majestic" was Soilwork's last album to feature longtime drummer Dirk Verbeuren, who left the band in July 2016 to join Megadeth and was replaced by Bastian Thusgaard of The Arcane Order.
‘Verkligheten’ (“reality”) maintains the quality control, being produced by Thomas „Plec“ Johansson and featuring a guest appearances from Tomi Joutsen (Amorphis) on ‘Needles And Kin’. Soilwork singer Björn "Speed" Strid, assures that it still breaks new ground for the band though. "It's possibly the most epic and darkest album we've done. And it's also very melancholic, but it's also very sort of uplifting. I'm really happy with it."
Tracklisting:
1. Verkligheten
2. Arrival
3. Bleeder Despoiler
4. Full Moon Shoals
5. The Nurturing Glance
6. When The Universe Spoke
7. Stalfagel
8. The Wolves Are Back In Town
9. Witan
10. The Ageless Whisper
11. Needles And Kin (feat Tuomi Joutsen)
12. You Aquiver
