Construcdead - Endless Echo (2009)

Construcdead is essentially a Swedish all-star band that combines the popular melodic death metal style with a groove metal tone, not unlike The Defaced. Not surprising, since this, their fourth album, features Jens Broman (Darkane, the Defaced) on vocals. The band also features Thomas Fällgren (ex-Sins of Omission), Rickard Dahlberg (Face Down) and Niklas Karlsson (Soils of Fate). Endless Echo is a slightly above average album (their fourth), with a few exciting moments when they drift into the thrashier Darkane territory.

The album starts with "Sedated Morning", a groove metal tune with a few death-thrashing breaks that fail to capitalize on any sort of memorable riffing. The song sounds a lot like The Defaced but not as catchy as some of their material. "My Haven" is considerably heavier, could easily have appeared on the first few Darkane records with its callous and venomous thrashing hatred. "Endless Echo" is instantly more impressive with its catchy little arpeggio and the creepy clean vocals over the mute chugging of the bridge. And the remainder of the album is quite solid...with an occasional miss. "A Goddess Breaches Through Me", "Disfigured Beauty" and "No Exit" all feature some killer hooks, even the grooves shine.

Featuring the caliber of musicians it does, Endless Echo has a killer depth to its production which vibrantly captures all of the instruments and the multi-faceted vocals of Broman. The man sounds natural here, whether he's barking out his Darkane snarls or his bigger, burlier cleans. The musicianship is tight all around, but this isn't a band to go off into technical tangents. Focus is entirely on the thrashing, grooving chaos created in their riffs, a hybrid of The Haunted, Soilwork, and many of their Swedish peers. Though not every song here is catchy or a winner, I enjoyed this more than their previous output, and its probably worth checking out if you enjoy any of the other bands I mentioned in the review.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

http://www.construcdead.com/

Loch Vostok - Reveal No Secrets (2009)

Loch Vostok is a Swedish band featuring members of such far flung acts as Wuthering Heights, Machinery, and F.K.Ü. The style is a hybrid of progressive metal and a driving melodeath undercurrent, though the lean is largely towards the former. Reveal No Secrets is their third album, and it deals with conspiracy theory and the loss of civil liberties. I'm always glad to see a band paying attention to what's going in the world.

For the most part, the hybrid of fist driving rhythms and prog/power metal vocals work well, but there is a major downside to the album...the growls and snarls are really lackluster. The lead vocals are perfectly sufficient without having to slather them in what sound like horrible third rate US Gothencore/melodeath gang gurgles. I realize the intent is to give the style some edge to it, but they really end up worthless and distracted from what is otherwise a good release. "Loss of Liberty" has some rocking if simple riffs with a scintillating keyboard line to give it some depth, but once that verse and those vocals kick in...ouch. "Dig Deeper" is another example. Good, solid, grooving rhythms that work well with the keyboards, and for most of the song they stick to just the cleans, but then in the bridge, here come the unecessary dual snarls. "Uncompassion" and "Blindfolds Off" are yet two more examples of good power/prog metal tracks tainted by the growls.

As far as the mix, it's alright. The chords gleam and the keyboards, though somewhat separate sounding from the band, are never excessive. Basically if you favor the more recent Soilwork style of writing, Loch Vostok could appeal to you. I like the band's message and I wish more thrash or power metal bands would add a refreshing, political edge to their lyrics, but I just could not get past the burdensome 'corish/melodeath vocals on this one.

Verdict: Indifference [5.5/10]

http://www.myspace.com/lochvostok