The fifth album from this now defunct Swedish death metal veteran is one I had sadly neglected upon its turn-of-the-century release. Now, having corrected this glaring oversight I can honestly claim it's the very best album the band ever produced.Hellbrigade is firmly entrenched between the Stockholm sound of their forebears Entombed and Dismember, the more melodic flourishes of 21st century Swedish peers, and veined with tendrils of primal late 80s Floridian brutality, to produce a well balanced attack. A heavy Slayer influence is also evident, but rarely in death metal is this not the case. Each of the nine tracks is dynamic, well-structured and memorable, from the mid-paced grooving, thrashing gait of "Last Redemption" to the melodic tinged slaughter of the title track.
The production is perfectly poised, raw enough to convey the brutality of the compositions and crystal enough that each of the guitars stands tall alongside the vocals and drum battery, with the bass only slightly less audible. The lyrics here are far from poetry, but it's difficult to fault an album called Hellbrigade for its probable Satanic overtones. And it's hard to fault a lyric like "your eyes would bleed if I gave you a glance / you all cry blood just by hearing my name" in any circumstance, am I right?
In any case, this is a remarkably good Swedish death metal album from the year it was all supposed to end. Well, the LAST year it was all supposed to end. More of those to come. Despite it's mid-career status, it stands as my favorite album from the eight they released.
Verdict: Win [8/10] (the crows are stabbing my back)
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