One year after their last album, Soilwork is back with an EP.
Entitled A Whisp Of The Atlantic, it comes after eleven full-lengths and three EPs from the band led by Björn “Speed” Strid (vocals, Act of Denial, Forces United, The Night Flight Orchestra) since 1996. The rest of the band is composed of Sven Karlsson (keyboards, ex-Evergrey), Sylvain Coudret (guitar, ex-Scarve), David Andersson (guitar, The Night Flight Orchestra) and Bastian Thusgaard (drums, Dawn of Demise), as well as Rasmus Ehrnborn (bass, Burning Kingdom) on stage.
When we say EP, we probably don’t expect more than half an hour of music. However, this one is different. Even if it is only composed of five tracks, A Whisp Of The Atlantic, the first song, lasts sixteen minutes, and allow us to acquaint ourselves with the slow and soft introduction before being hit at full force by those groovy riffs. The vocalist’s clean singing is replaced by powerful howlings, while the heavy rhythmic relentlessly strikes. The pair of guitar players doesn’t hesitate to add some piercing leads on this catchy rhythmic while rage takes possession of musicians, then goes away for an airy break. Melodic Death Metal roots are still here, but the more recent influences make themselves heard as the track ends.
We come back on shorter songs with Feverish and its heady keyboards, nearly kitsch sounding, while the rhythmic tornado falls upon us before letting ferocity express itself while staying on catchy tones. Same feeling for Desperado, of which soft introduction throw us on jerky and raging riffs, a very effective chorus with easily memorizable clean vocals, as well as for Death Diviner. Whether the sound is massive, riffs are cheerful and catchy, creating a contrast on which we easily see ourselves moshing. The break calls a violent sound back, and it’s with the epic The Nothingness And The Devil that the EP ends. The band’s Heavy/Groove influences are fully exploited and the song will be amongst the most vivid ones on stage, before a soaring final part!
Soilwork still exploits its music’s several influences. A Whisp Of The Atlantic is a proof that their mixing of Melodic Death Metal can perfectly meet a modern Metalcore/Groove as well as some more Prog and Heavy hints.
90/100