UMUR "The Living Infinite" is the 9th full-length studio album by Swedish melodic death metal act Soilwork. The album was released through Nuclear Blast Records in February/March 2013. "The Living Infinite" is a double album featuring two discs, both around the 40 minutes mark in length. The lineup have seen quite a change since the release of "The Panic Broadcast (2010)", as guitarist/composer Peter Wichers left Soilwork for the second time in 2012. New guitarist is David Andersson (Mean Streak, The Night Flight Orchestra), who in addition to playing guitar also wrote most tracks on the album along with lead vocalist (and now only original member again) Björn “Speed” Strid.

The music on the album is unmistakably the sound of Soilwork, new contributing composer or not. Björn “Speed” Strid has sailed this ship for years and will undoubtedly make sure that Soilwork will always sound like Soilwork. Soilwork have of course added new elements over the years and developed their sound, but every release by the band feature their signature sound, which is just one of the great qualities of this particular band. The music features aggressive distorted vocals (somewhere between intelligible high end growling and more "core" type screaming) and clean vocals as we´ve become used to over the years, strong death thrashy guitar riffing and nice rythmic variation (drummer Dirk Verbeuren is on fire on this album playing everything from furious blast beats to intricate groove laden beats played both fast, mid and slow paced), more atmospheric/melodic chord progressions and the occasional brilliant lead guitar work. There are generally very few solos on the album, but the two guitarists still play some impressive fast and melodic lead themes. It´s safe to say that the musicianship on the album are absolutely brilliant across the line. But of course that´s no surprise...

...however it´s the songwriting that takes the prize on "The Living Infinite". First of all I have seldom come across a double album with no filler material! That´s an achivement in itself. I had my doubts about the double album concept when I first heard about it, but my fears have been put to shame. Each and every track on "The Living Infinite" are not only worth listening to, they are cleverly composed too. The band are known for their soaring "pop melody" clean sung choruses, and here those choruses are more than ever before delivered with great impact and emotion. Very catchy and instantly memorable. But the band don´t forget to kick ass and you´ll be treated to lots of fast aggressive sections too. The band seamlessly combine the two stylistic elements and miraculously make them work wonders together. A testament to how great composers Soilwork actually are. The level of sophistication put into the songwriting on this album is admirable.

There are several highligts on the album like album opener "Spectrum of Eternity", the very melodic and very Devin Townsend influenced "The Windswept Mercy" or the closing semi-progressive heavy and epic closer "Owls Predict, Oracles Stand Guard", which is one of the tracks on the album where Soilwork leave their comfort zone with great success. The latter is actually penned by keyboard player Sven Karlsson and bassist Ola Flink and might feature a couple of closing minutes that sound slightly too close to something Gojira could have conjured up, but what the hell! It sounds fantastic, brings variation to the album and introduces new stylistic elements to the band´s sound, that they can further explore on subsequent releases should they wish to.

The fact that the whole thing is packed in a powerful and detailed sound production that brings out the best in the tracks is not exactly an issue either and it´s actually pretty hard to come up with anything negative to say about "The Living Infinite". I guess some of the tracks fall into the slightly formulaic vers/chorus trap, but when it works as well as it does here, I´m not going to complain about it. Overall "The Living Infinite" might actually be Soilwork´s strongest release yet and a 4.5 star (90%) rating definitely isn´t too much.

arcane-beautiful Soilwork have been a band that I've enjoyed for the past few years on and off, now and then. They've always been a band that I would listen to to cheer me up. Now for a metal band...that's pretty odd.

Yes, if you look at it, Melodic Death Metal can actually be the perfect use for catharsis. Melding anger and joy together, it really is the perfect and oddest paradox there is.

I got into these guys whenever I first got into the genre. After enjoying In Flames for the past few years, I was suggested this was the band for me. So I bought Stabbing The Drama and...I enjoyed it. Same with the other 2 albums that where released after it. I just enjoyed them. Never really fell in love with them, like I did with other Melo death bands, but I still would listen to them now and then.

It's odd, because they do have some of the best formulas in the genre. For example, Speed has to be one of the best and most diverse vocalists in metal. Musically, these guys are always up to notch. Production wise, perfection.

I think the reason I'm not so over the top about them is because these guys have been playing it safe...which is always a good thing. They can always deliver what's expected and now and then suprise us. So all in all...Soilwork is Soilwork. Nothing will ever change them, they will always kick ass.

So what makes this album so special. Well...one thing is that its a double album (and also the first double melodic death metal album), so we are expecting a lot more material. But also, this may be their finest moment. And why...well the songwriting, while it may not have changed to a high degree, does sound better, which could be because of the new blood in the band. Instrumentally the guys have even improved, and keyboards can actually be heard now in these songs, which is a positive, because they've been so low in the mix, I always felt that Sven was basically just there to stand and look pretty.

This is just a fun album where Soilwork seem to be just doing what they want. And a band who's having fun will always make me smile.

CD 1

1. Spectrum Of Eternity – Soilwork always have a knack at grabbing people by the balls on an opening song. And this is probably one of their finest examples of doing so. One of my favourite openers to an album. 10/10

2. Memories Confined – A slower and more groove orientated song. Kind of like Lamb Of God with organs. 8/10

3. This Momentary Bliss – One of the albums most melodic and poppier moments. Some pretty impressive instrumental work throughout. 9/10

4. Tongue – One of the best songs on the album with one of the most kick ass chorus'. Some great vocals from Speed. The guitar solo in this song is incredibly beautiful, where for a moment, I thought Steve Vai had taken over as a lead guitarist. 10/10

5. The Living Infinite I – My favourite part of this duo. A great opener and it doesn't overcomplicate itself. Straight to the point and kick ass. 9/10

6. Let The First Wave Rise – One of the faster and more punk paced songs on the album. A head rush of a song with a killer chorus. 10/10

7. Vesta – Probably one of my most favourite Soilwork songs...ever. A very unusual yet addictive chorus. Some of these guys most proggier moments as well.10/10

8. Realm Of The Wasted -This is where the album started to go a little downhill in quality. Sounds like something that could have been left off of Sworn To A Great Divide. It does bode some nice rhythmic and arrangement wise twists and turns. 7/10

9. The Windswept Mercy – A song with a guest vocalist...and I didn't even notice it. In all fairness Speed is so diverse, I wouldn't be surprised if Justin Bieber wasn't secretly him in disguise. Pretty killer song with some nice vocals from both vocalists. 8/10

10. Whisper & Lights – An epic ender to this side of the album. A beautifuly arranged song with some epic twists and turns throughout. 10/10

CD 2

1. Entering Aeons – A nice atmopsheric instrumental. Cool intro to this side of the album. 7/10

2. Long Live The Misanthrope – A bit like Spectrum Of Eternity, where it is more of an opener to an album, with an epic twist. I do prefer Soilwork to open with a kick in the face, but a powerfull spit in the face also works at times as well. 9/10

3. Drowning With Silence – A pretty kick ass song with a really cool chorus. 9/10

4. Antidotes In Passing – One of the oddest songs on the album. More of a gothic rock meets metal moment with some impressive vocals from Speed. 10/10

5. Leech – Originally, the song has a rather punk meets thrash style, but the chorus is rather poppy. Odd, but kick ass nonetheless. 10/10

6. The Living Infinite II – This song starts off with a pretty epic opener and continues to have a rather epic feel throughout. I do prefer the first part slightly more, but still pretty killer nontheless. 8/10

7. Loyal Shadow – An instrumental prelude after the epicness of The Living Infinite. 7/10

8. Rise Above The Sentiment – There is a music video for this song, and it is pretty funny. Other than that, it's a pretty good song. Standard Soilwork really, with a nice catchy chorus. 8/10

9. Parasite Blues – This is another oddly arranged song. It starts off like a Soilwork regular, but as it goes on, it morphs into something rather different. Pretty impressive for these guys. 8/10

10. Owls Predict, Oracles Stand Guard – The oddest titled song (there's always one of these on a Soilwork album). For some odd reason, this song is probably one of my favourite moments, mainly because its so different to the rest of the album. The song also ends on one mammoth of a riff.

CONCLUSION: Having looked over the album again and comparing it with their previous 3 (the only ones I have), and I've come to the conclusion that this is their best album. A bit too long maybe, but overall, it has some of their most strongest songs. Now Soilwork will always be a band that I will only really like songs of now and then, and are perfect for background music...but this album is a very enjoyable album and it may be a double album, but its not too overbearing and is over pretty quickly, and even at the end, your still looking for more. Now for a double album...that's pretty impressive.

8.2/10

Kev Rowland ‘The Living Infinite’ is the ninth studio album by Swedish modern melodic death metalheads Soilwork and is the first to feature new guitarist David Andersson who replaces founding member Peter Wichers, who first left the band in 2005 only to return four years later. It features artwork by Mnemic’s Mircea Gabriel Eftemie who previously created the artwork for 2005’s ‘Stabbing The Drama’, while it has been produced by Jens Borgen (Opoeth, Amon Amarth, Bloodbath). So, a lot of effort has gone into this – and that’s before you realize that this is actually a double CD with a total of 20 songs! When music is this intense and dramatic it’s asking a lot for a band to keep it up for 85 minutes, but somehow they do, and also provide enough variety to make the listener want to keep going until the end.

There is a real mix on this album, so much so that the listener goes from feeling that this number sounds as if it has been influenced by Disturbed, that one by Trivium, another by Devin Townsend and his wall of sound approach, more with old school etc. What I found staggering is that there really isn’t a weak number on the album – they are all incredibly powerful, but constructed in a manner that really demonstrates the light and shade. With the user of light, the dark seems even more so and it really is one of those albums where the song that is being played is the favourite. This is a 5* album in anyone’s book – and is easily one of the metal albums of the year so far. But what do the band think of it? Here are singer Bjorn “Speed” Strid’s views on the first CD.

01. Spectrum Of Eternity - A fast and thrashy, yet melodic opener bringing you straight to the "core of existence". 02. Memories Confined - An epic song with Sven's signature. 03. This Momentary Bliss - Reminding you of ‘A Predator's Portrait’ days. Super catchy and groovy chorus. 04. Tongue - A fast song with a great melancholic feeling 05. The Living Infinite I - A heavy driven mid tempo song with a timeless melody. 06. Let The First Wave Rise - If you mix Soilwork with Possessed, this is what you get. 07. Vesta - A very heavy and atmospheric song with an elaborate acoustic intro. 08. Realm Of The Wasted - Insane guitar work with the most intricate chorus on the album. 09. The Windswept Mercy - A melancholic but hopeful song featuring Justin Sullivan (New Model Army) 10. Whispers And Lights - The epic ending track of the first album on which we just invented ‘Levitating Metal’.

And drummer Dirk Verbeuren’s views on the second disc:

01. Entering Aeons - This eerie, crawling instrumental sets the tone for chapter II of “The Living Infinite”. 02. Long Live The Misanthrope - An up-tempo thrasher with killer riffs, epic solos and a catchy chorus: in short, 100% pure SOILWORK!

03. Drowning With Silence - crushing yet melodic, this track perfectly embodies the album’s introspective atmosphere. 04. Antidotes In Passing - Melancholy abounds in this atmospheric piece. 05. Leech - At 260 bpm, the fastest song on the album and chock-full of Sylvain’s signature riffing. 06. The Living Infinite II - Another catchy, heavy track with a timeless chorus. 07. Loyal Shadow - This beautiful instrumental honors a fallen friend. 08. Rise Above The Sentiment - A soaring chorus atop a rollercoaster of heavy riffs. 09. Parasite Blues - Pounding grooves, thunderous guitars and epic melodies: this is blues the SOILWORK way! 10. Owls Predict, Oracles Stand Guard - A magnificent Sven-penned closer, dark and truly unique, with lyrics by Ola.

If you enjoy modern metal, then this is essential. ‘Nuff said.