SOILWORK — Sworn to a Great Divide (review)

SOILWORK — Sworn to a Great Divide album cover Album · 2007 · Melodic Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
UMUR
"Sworn to a Great Divide" is the seventh full-length studio album by Swedish metal act Soilwork. The album was released through Nuclear Blast Records in October 2007. It´s the successor to "Stabbing the Drama" from 2005 and features one lineup change as guitarist and founding member Peter Wichers has been replaced by Daniel Antonsson.

The material on "Sworn to a Great Divide" more or less continue the melodic death metal/metalcore style of "Stabbing the Drama", although I´d say the metalcore leanings are stronger on this album compared to the predecessor. This is still in some way melodic death metal too though but it´s in the most polished and melodic end of the spectrum. The vocals alternate between screaming raw vocals (sometimes hardcore influenced and sometimes semi-growling) and clean vocals. Typically with raw vocals on the verses of the songs and clean vocals on the melodic and anthemic choruses.

"Sworn to a Great Divide" doesn´t offer much Soilwork´s fans haven´t already heard on the previous releases and if development of sound has to be discussed, the development is towards a more metalcore oriented sound, with heavy chugging riffs, use of electronics/keyboards, and Björn Strid´s hardcore influenced screaming vocals. I´ve heard the album described as commercial, and while I woudn´t go that far, I´d go as far as to call it accessible.

"Sworn to a Great Divide" is relatively well produced, although to my ears the music could have prospered from a more raw and punchy sound production. It all becomes a bit too polished and nice at times, and even the heavy riffs and screaming vocals won´t offend many. It´s all simply a bit too formulaic and predictable, and it would seem at this point that Soilwork had lost their edge or maybe just wanted to pursue a more accessible direction. I´m probably being a bit too harsh here, as "Sworn to a Great Divide" is still a quality release by a prolific and hard working act, but upon conclusion it´s just not among their greatest achievements and a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating isn´t all wrong.
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