The Great DeceiverIncase you may have not heard about these guys until now, they feature the legendary vocalist Tomas Lindberg, who you should know from At The Gates. Well, these guys formed after the demise of At The Gates in 1996. Over their 10 plus years as a band (mostly consisting of Tomas Lindberg and Kristian Wahlan) they have released a full length on Peaceville Records and two EP's, one of which came out on Trustkill Records in 1999.
Musically these guys combine the speed and intensity of hardcore, the guitar prowess of metal(think of Entombed. At The Gates) and the hook laden repetition of industrial which culminates into a fairly unique listening experience, especially when you pair it up with Lindberg's ALMOST always stellar vocal delivery. The industrial aspect of their sound is not nearly as prevalent as it was on their previous albums and the vocal's have definitely improved tenfold from their previous releases, no clean singing.
The album consists of 12 aurally assaulting tracks of the aforementioned brand of metal. The songs are consistently over the 3:30 mark. From track to track the band maintains consistency in it's song writing, it isn't "okay this track is going to be more metal, this more punk", each track flows nicely into the next without sounding repetitive in the least. One of the most interesting and enjoyable aspects of the band is the almost industrial like guitar manipulations that the guitarist use frequently throughout the album, it adds yet another layer to the atmosphere. As do the straight up thrashing metal leads and solos laid down. Do not look for straight up, obvious industrial moments like the band have previously had on other albums.
These guys did a great job recording this album. The guitar tone is absolutely perfect for the style these guys are aiming for. Such a great distortion that with perfect clarity, no unwanted feedback or anything like that. The drum's (which were recorded by Ulf Erikkson) sounds good, the kick has a good sound and the snare has really good pop to it. It's weird I wasn't sure about the tone of the drums because they seemed a bit rigid but taking into consideration the nature of the music it's perfect. The bass which was handled by both of the band's guitarist sound good, it has just enough presence to make a difference. The bass tone has a slight twang that can be heard between the guitars and drums. The vocals have great placement in the mix but what else would you expect when you have Tomas Lindberg manning the helm.
Printed on matte stock, this is one Bannon's finer pieces of work in my opinion and he shared illustration duties with Kristian Wahlan (guitarist) and the art direction was set by Dennis Tencic. There is a city skyline hidden behind tons of contrasted images with trees placed over the city scape. I like the choice of black, green and bits of red, fits in with the time of the year this is released. The lyrics are printed over a three panel booklet with the some variations of the contrasted stuff on the front cover. The lyrics are printed in white, so even though it's not too much of a task to read it's not exactly easy on the eyes.
Rating: 4/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: Running With Scissors and Home To Oblivion
Synopsis: This is one of the best releases I've heard this year and have been giving this one a lot of spins since I received it. If you'd like to check out the song "Running With Scissors" and two songs from "Terra Incognito" check out their MySpace. Personally, I am glad they have taken the direction they have, I wasn't too impressed with the two older songs, especially vocally but this album from start to finish is sheer quality.
The Great Deceiver MySpace
The Great Deceiver Website
Deathwish Inc Records