Engel – Absolute Design

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Produced by Anders Friden & Daniel Bergstrand

Another new band from the Gothenburg school of innovation in metal, Engel comprise former members of bands like In Flames, Evergrey and Lord Belial (a diverse range of musical backgrounds, for sure) in an attempt to create something new.

Produced by In Flames vocalist Anders Friden and In Flames regular producer Daniel Bergstrand, the band led by former In Flames guitarist Nicolas Engelin and fronted by Mangan Klavborn mix industrial-style industrial-style riffs and drums with hardcore/emo vocal combinations to try and create something at once melodic and crushingly aggressive. Both things are achieved, but the union is not an entirely happy one.

The songs come across more as a lack of identity than a pioneering style. It feels entirely like they can’t decide what to sound like, which I’m sure wasn’t their intention, but instead of uniting the aggressive sides of industrial and hardcore with the melody of emo, the softer, very teen-sounding vocals simply serve to strip the aggression away from the songs, making them feel overall a little flat.

I’m The One, for instance, kicks off with a shuddering riff, but the verses are the quiet Linkin Park-style impassioned whines that give them too much of a pop-edge to appeal to most metal fans. In fact most of the songs here have great main riffs. Some even have great solos (Calling Out), but they all ruin the effect in some way by brining in the jarring hardcore or emo elements.

The guitar work is the best part of this album, and there’s a lot to enjoy in the riffs and solos. Some people will of course rather enjoy the stylistic direction of the band, and given that the tracks don’t vary a great deal from each other, will therefore probably enjoy the whole record. But I would advise metal fans to steer clear and the emo elements will more than likely annoy you.

“ lack of identity ”

Tracklist: In Splendour / Casket Closing / Next Closed Door / The Hurricane Season / Propaganda / The Paraclete / Scyth / Descend / Trial & Error / I’m The One / Calling Out / Seven Ends

Written by Andy Lye
More: Albums, Industrial, Engel