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October 12, 2008 |
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01. Inject
02. Wicked Saints
03. Infernique
04. Hellucinations
05. Show Me Your God!
06. Death_Wish_Scar
07. Toxic Paranoia
08. Needles Nervosa
09. Bloodspill Revelation
10. Suicide Park
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Get ready for an all-out attack on your senses. Swedish death thrashers IMPIOUS have returned with their fourth full-length release, "Hellucinate". Hailing from their hometown of Trollhättan, Sweden, just north of Gothenburg, the band was formed in the spring of 1994 by guitarist Valle Adzic and vocalist Martin Åkesson. After recording several demos, IMPIOUS finally released their debut album, "Evilized", on Black Sun Records in 1998, followed by "Terror Succeeds" in 2000. Two years later, the band jumped ship to Hammerheart Records, where they released their third album, entitled "The Killer", and the MCD "Deathsquad" in 2003. It wasn't until February 2004 that IMPIOUS finally found a stable home base when they signed a worldwide recording contract with the mighty Metal Blade Records. Later that summer, IMPIOUS entered the studio to record their Metal Blade debut, "Hellucinate", an album that exemplifies the true meaning of pure, aggressive Scandinavian metal.
I'm just going to come right out and say it in the simplest terms possible - this album will literally knock you on your ass! It's no-holds-barred, full-speed ahead metal right from the sound of the starting-pistol. Believe me, if you feel the slightest bit tired before slapping this jewel in your CD player, you will be wide awake within a matter of seconds - I can almost guarantee it. Beginning with the blistering opener, "Inject" is a relentless onslaught of ripping guitars and some of the most terrifying vocals you will ever hear. How Åkesson does it, I don't know, but man can he growl and scream! The carnage continues with "Wicked Saints" and Infernique", two steamrolling crushers that display more of the same impressive axe-work and vocal chord abuse, and some insanely fast skin pounding by drummer Mikael Norén. Triggers? I think not! "Hellucinations" carries on with the same speed and intensity, while things slow down ever so SLIGHTLY (key word here) in "Show Me Your God!"
It's a hard-edged killer of a song with slamming double-kick, demonic growls and in-your-face axe-riffing - Swedish style!
From there on, it's packed with pretty much of the same level of barbarity. Tracks like "Needles Nervosa", "Death_Wish_Scar", and "Bloodspill Revelation" rip and tear through the thickest of steel like a hot knife in butter - LOTS of speed/aggression/brutality coming from all directions, all evenly distributed through the drums, guitars, bass, and vocals. "Suicide Park" sticks out as the slowest track on the disc (well, as slow as can be expected from this band). Clocking in at over 9 minutes long, the song features a steady, quaking rhythm accompanied by more killer vocals from Åkesson and some excellent work by axe-meisters Robin Sörqvist and Valle Adzic. The crunching guitars near the end, followed by the two and a half-minute outro with the tolling of the bell really add a great finishing touch to the song as well. This IS the slowest song on the disc, but definitely a standout for sure.
I honestly cannot say one bad thing about this album. It is just that good! It's a perfect mixture of death and thrash metal, combined with a few surprising ingredients that will have you hooked and coming back for more. Musically, this is very much up to par with many other fine Swedish metal masterpieces like AT THE GATES' "Slaughter Of The Soul" and more recently, DISMEMBER's "Where Ironcrosses Grow". Metal Blade made a wise choice in signing these guys and if IMPIOUS keep putting out albums like this, they are sure to ride the winds of a long and promising career in metal.
Rest assured boys and girls, "Hellucinate" will not disappoint you. Do yourself a favor and go pick up this album, listen to it at least once a day, and never let it out of your sight. You may also consider beginning a comprehensive neck muscle strengthening program in order to avoid any neck strains you may incur from all the thrashing you will be doing.
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