UMUR
"Underworld" is an EP release by Swedish metal act Soilwork. The EP was released through Nuclear Blast in June 2019. It´s the follow-up release to the band´s 11th full-length studio album "Verkligheten" from 2019, and the EP features 4 tracks recorded during the sessions for "Verkligheten (2019)" which didn´t make it unto the album (or maybe a seperate session afterwards, because it looks like bassist Taylor Nordberg who plays on the album isn´t credited here). All 4 tracks were however included on the limited special edition of "Verkligheten (2019)". So to those who already own the special edition of the full-length album, "Underworld" is a redundant release.
Stylistically the 4 tracks on the 19:50 minutes long EP are in the signature melodic death/heavy metal style of Soilwork, so there are not many surprises here. If you enjoy the last couple of Soilwork albums, the material featured here will probably also please your ears. Both "Summerburned and Winterblown" and "Needless and Kin" are high quality Soilwork tracks, but the two other tracks on the EP are slightly less interesting and of a more standard quality for the band. That doesn´t mean they are bad quality tracks, just that they aren´t up to par with the best material Soilwork are able to produce.
"Underworld" features a clear, powerful, and detailed sounding production job, which suits the material perfectly and paired with the predominantly strong songwriting and skilled musicianship, it´s another high quality release by Soilwork. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.