The Gothenburg Project 03.12.09: Soilwork (Part 5)

Posted by Matt Shoemaker on 03.12.2009

Soilwork's time has come in this column, as this week, we're taking a look at the band's last album, Sworn to a Great Divide, an album that could very well be considered their best work to date. There's also an absolutely insane video of the band's drummer that should be seen by all.

Hey all, and welcome to this week's Gothenburg Project. This column marks a significant moment in the history of… well, this column. This is the last time you'll see the Gothenburg Project in this format. After my break next week, I'll be, essentially, re-debuting this column with a new style. What that style is, I'm not exactly sure yet, however. I'm working on multiple ideas, and over the next week or so, I'm gonna decide which one I want to go with.

On another important note, as featured in the music news area, is the end of 92.3 KROCK in New York. Being a native New Yorker, this hits me kinda hard. I grew up listening to that station (when it was good, back when Cane and the Crazy Cabbie stayed on the air almost all night, playing some kick ass rock music, and Howard Stern played in the morning, which my parents would never let me listen to when I was younger. However, ever since the station came back to a rock format from talk radio (damn, I miss the Ron and Fez Show), it sucked. They played, essentially, the same music all day, and there was very little variety to the genres they played. It always seemed to be grunge and classic rock, with an occasional important new release in the rock scene. So I have mixed feelings on the station ending, to say the least.

Now, let's get to the column.

After the release of Stabbing the Drama, which earned the band a mild amount of praise, as well as a spot at Ozzfest, which is where the "Blind Eye Halo" video last week came from, the band hit a few snags. Guitarist Peter Wichers, one of the key members of the band, left due to exhaustion, and was replaced by Daniel Antonsson. The band also had to cancel shows overseas due to terrorist attacks.

In 2007, the band went back to the studio, after touring extensively with bands like Darkest Hour, Threat Signal, and Caliban.



Album Info

Recorded: March 3, 2007- June 26, 2007, Not Quite Studios
Released: October 19, 2007 (EU), October 23, 2007 (US)
Produced By: Ola Frenning, Peter Wildoer, Devin Townsend (vocals only)

Track Listing

1. "Sworn to a Great Divide" − 3:33
2. "Exile" − 3:49
3. "Breeding Thorns" − 3:55
4. "Your Beloved Scapegoat" − 3:58
5. "The Pittsburgh Syndrome" − 2:46
6. "I, Vermin" − 3:38
7. "Light Discovering Darkness" − 3:50
8. "As the Sleeper Awakes" − 4:18
9. "Silent Bullet" − 3:26
10. "Sick Heart River" − 4:12
11. "20 More Miles" − 4:38
12. "Martyr" − 4:17

Sworn To A Great Divide is, in my opinion, Soilwork's strongest album overall. Musically, the album manages to find a perfect balance between heavy and melodic. The guitar riffs are all very diverse and incredibly catchy. The drums are better than ever, as Verbeuren steps his game up once again for the album. Strid's vocals are the real attraction here, though. His harsh vocals are much more deep and powerful than on any of the band's previous albums, and his clean singing has improved drastically, even when he adds a tinge of scream to the equation.

In terms of the songs, everything's pretty solid. The opening track is an amazing track to just let loose on, and start headbanging. "Exile", the first single, is a little bit more radio friendly than most of the rest of the songs on this album, but it's definitely still good none the less. "Your Beloved Scapegoat", one of the heavier songs on the album, also contains the perfect melody to counterpoint it. The verses, which consist of a short guitar riff, drums, and Strid's vocals, are absolutely crushing. The next song, "The Pittsburgh Syndrome", is pure speed, from blast beats on the drums, to speedy guitar riffs, to Bjorn's powerhouse vocals ripping through the song at lightning speeds."Silent Bullet", my favorite song on the album, is the total antithesis to that. It's slow, at least in comparison to the former, but very heavy at the same time. Verbeuren's double bas drumming is also blindingly fast, and it leads into a chorus that you can't help but sing along to.

While Strid's vocals, like I mentioned, Verbeuren's drumming is what makes this album incredible for me. There are so many little intricacies that he puts in really random spots that make his work so much more unique than other metal drummers. There are a lot of small double bass rolls in spots where you wouldn't really need to add them, and yet he does anyway, and it adds a whole new flavor to the song. His fills are also incredible, whether it be a few quick cymbal strikes in succession, or a really flashy drum roll across his toms, and winding up at the snare drum, he really manages to put the extra work into this to make it an enjoyable album. The drumming in "20 More Miles" is especially incredible, taking a whole new technical approachto drumming that not many other drummers probably have the ability to do.



Overall, this is an incredible album, not just by the standards Soilwork has set for themselves, but as a metal album overall. The production is perfect, the music is absolutely phenomenal, and the vocals are a step above whatever I could have dreamed for Soilwork.

"Exile"



Dirk Verbeuren recording drums for "The Pittsburgh Syndrome"



Like I said, I'll be back in two weeks with a new format. Till then, take care.