Once upon a time, In Flames would have written a song like ‘Overlord.’ The second track on ‘Embodiment Of The Divine’ is a full on assault of duelling guitars, exquisite melodies and gruff vocals, played with the over-caffeinated excitement the Swedes possessed in their younger days. It’s a hugely enjoyable track and exactly the kind of thing that would have cropped up in the track-listing for ‘Colony’ or ‘Clayman.’
Similarly, the next song – ‘Master Psychosis’ – recalls another Swedish melodeath group, Scar Symmetry this time. It’s a fast-paced, riff-oriented four minutes but with the added bonus of a soaring singalong chorus. It’ll be welcomed with open arms by anyone still patiently waiting for that band’s seventh album and it’s very easy to get carried along by the sheer enthusiasm of it all.
These aren’t isolated cases of hero worship either as pretty much the entirety of Buried Realm’s sophomore album is a loving tribute to the melodeath genre. Band mastermind and only official member Josh Dummer clearly has a lot of love for that distinctly European style where Death and Power metal collide head-on. There are moments that recall bands like At The Gates, Dark Tranquility and Arch Enemy, all played with an expertise that could only be described as infuriatingly good. Dummer handles every single instrument himself and is frankly, exceptional. He seems just as comfortable doing death growls as ringing every last pinch harmonic he possibly can from a battered Stratocaster.
His talent appears not to have gone unnoticed either, as a few (semi) famous faces make guest appearances, some more than once. There are members of Obscura, Firewind, Soilwork, Born Of Osiris and Mors Principium Est cropping up throughout and it gives the whole thing the vibe of an all-star party. It also means that Buried Realm aren’t so much a band as a great big project with a revolving door line-up, akin to a melodic death version of Avantasia, only with less pouting. They don’t sound anything alike, but this is an ambitious album that isn’t afraid to dream big.
Unlike Avantasia though, ‘Embodiment Of The Divine’ doesn’t always need to be enjoyed in one massive session and it works just as well if you fancy dipping in for five minutes and headbanging to the spiritual successor to ‘Natural Born Chaos.’ Songs like the furious pit-igniter ‘In The Shallow Light’ and the epic title track are turn-of-the-millennium melodeath at their finest. These are intricate, carefully crafted songs that have clearly had a lot of effort put into them, but they also work as standalone adrenaline shots.
There’s the odd misstep where Dummer could have benefitted from a bandmate to reign him in, ‘Silver Tongue’ for instance would be better if it had been edited down slightly. For at least ninety percent of the runtime though, ‘Embodiment Of The Divine’ is an absolute blast. It’s the most defiantly Swedish sounding album of the new decade and that’s even more impressive when you consider it’s actually from Colorado. Once lockdown has ended, it’d be great if he could get a touring band together and start showing off on the road. Lord knows we’ll need a party once this year is over and there are choruses here that need to be bellowed out.
- ‘Embodiment Of The Divine’ is released on Friday (24 July). You can get your copy HERE.
- All content © Über Rock. Not to be reproduced in part or in whole without the express written permission of Über Rock.