Customer Reviews

A Predator's Portrait

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Alas, it sometimes (certainly not often) seems to be the case that an artist's third album is their best. Metallica, with MASTER OF PUPPETS, immediately comes to mind for many people. However, just look at other bands: Iced Earth, with the great BURNT OFFERINGS; Arch Enemy with BURNING BRIDGES; Tool, with AENIMA (or, if you don't count OPIATE as an actual album, LATERALUS, equally terrific). So here it is the case again, with one of the most popular and sonically perfect of Sweden's melodeath bands, Soilwork, with the mighty A PREDATOR'S PORTRAIT.

The ten tracks on this album are ten of the best and most ferocious metal songs I have ever heard in my life. This is one of the most complete and well-rounded albums ever, as well; each song, in its own respect, is just PERFECT; not one of the songs is worth skipping over unless there is a specific one you're in the mood for.

Bjorn "Speed" Strid's performance is at its best. This is the first album to really introduce his clean vocals, which are surprisingly clear and diverse (just as diverse, if not more, than his more well-known death metal rasps and growls). Just listen to "Neurotica Rampage," and gasp at his furious screams at the ending chorus - he drops his death metal rasp and simply SCREAMS...and it is brutal to hear. Then hear his performance on "Shadowchild," and be blown away forevermore by his singing. Also, be sure to listen to the title track - special guest backing vocals by the great Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth (with that haunting singing voice of his!).

Henry Ranta is still one of my absolute favorite metal drummers. With eclectic (but precision) skill he lashes out and seems to destroy his set, maintaining rhythm with killer speed and complexity, yet creating mind-boggling extra noise that, had it not been performed, would have rendered the rhythm section into something fast but not particularly interesting.

Peter Wichers and Ola Frenning simply SLAUGHTER on this album. If you're a person who's first getting into Soilwork through the great NATURAL BORN CHAOS, then forget how good you think the guitar duo was there. On A PREDATOR'S PORTRAIT, they have endless leads and harmonies that rival even Arch Enemy and In Flames, pounding riffs that are like three-ton spiked balls being dropped on your house, and leads that can shred your ears to confetti...or lift you to the highest heavens. It's unfortunate that they have decided to be less of a guitar-driven group; this is one of their most powerful strengths - especially when they have back-to-back guitar solos. Best (heavy) riffs: "The Analyst" (during the verses - just try to tell me those riffs aren't infectious!), the title track, and "Neurotica Rampage." Best harmonized riffs: "Grand Failure Anthem," in the choruses - simply beautiful stuff.

Ola Flink's bass, although barely taking any moments of real outstanding work, still provides an excellent backdrop to the guitar riffs and thickens the rhythm. Perhaps he is the only member of the band that does not stand out in one way or another.

Finally, Carlos Holmberg proves to be a good, but not great, keyboardist. His contribution to Soilwork's sound is more of a textural process, adding to and nicely complementing the melodic side of their vicious sound. It would not be until NATURAL BORN CHAOS that the great Sven Karlsson (formerly of Evergrey) that keyboards became more of a prominent instrument in Soilwork's genre-bending sound. Still, Carlos was integral to Soilwork, and helped make this album perfect.

Actually, wait...as I write this review, "Shadowchild" played on my CD player. I think this song deserves a mention of its own. Ultra-heavy riffs during the verses, and epic-feeling, mammoth harmonized melodies in the choruses, already make it good enough in itself. But it is also from Bjorn's soaring clean vocals in the chorus (where he chants, "Lead us...Shadowchild...soiled by your faith in disguise...shadowside...reflecting the eyes") that really drive this song to such sonic perfection. Just...never mind; I couldn't describe it better if I wanted to. Listen to it yourself and be blown away.

So in a nutshell, A PREDATOR'S PORTRAIT is as good as Soilwork has ever gotten. It is the absolute pinnacle of their powerful, dark, melodic, and ultra-heavy take on metal. And if you're new to melodic death metal, this definitely should be your first - or at least would be a perfect introduction. This is the cream of the, um, soil.

Gothenburg has bestowed upon us another fantastic melodic death metal act called Soilwork. They are certainly a force to be reckoned with in the metal arena. ... Euro-metal bands like Soilwork come to the rescue.

Soilwork are comparable to such Gothenburg legends as At The Gates and In Flames. Although many feel that they are not up to par with these bands, I strongly disagree. Soilwork have found a home in the circle of great Swedish metal bands, and in some cases, transcend them. Their songwriting abilities are top notch, and they do not waste time trying to get their point across. They combine thrash and death metal with a melodic twist, and the result is fantastic.

"A Predator's Portrait," Soilwork's third release, greatly improves on the foundation laid by "Steelbath Suicide" and "The Chainheart Machine." The band really began to fall into place with this release. They implemented clean vocals and frequent use of keyboards, and the twin guitar nirvana that is Peter Wichers and Ola Frenning has returned. Heavy, pummelling riffs and melodic, harmonized solos are there every step of the way to satisfy bloodthirsty metalheads.

The album immediately bursts forth with the melodic sludgefest "Bastard Chain," which well showcases each musical element in Soilwork's sadistic cauldron. Classic thrash riffing gives way to a melodic chorus loaded with arpeggios, and the song concludes with fantastic solos by Wichers and Frenning. "Speed" Strid's vocals are also fantastic. His voice is quite unique.

Next, Soilwork slow their attack but do not sacrifice one bit of heaviness. "Like The Average Stalker" contains great riffs and keyboard work, and the melodies are great, as always. "Needlefeast" has a catchy chorus with clean vocals, and is also a great song in itself. "Neurotica Rampage" is a great thrash tune with cool guitar fills inserted throughout. "Shadowchild" is simply one of the best songs on the album, and "A Predator's Portrait" is a great closer. It also has a clean vocal driven chorus, and Strid is backed by Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth.

There is not a bad song on this album. This band simply can do no wrong. Fans of melodic death metal should pick this up and discover a new dimension of the Gothenburg sound. The songwriting is top notch, the guitars, vocals, and drums are all aggressive, and there is not a boring moment on this CD. BUY IT!!!

SOILWORK - A Predator's Portrait
-
Pretty much an all around awesome album! Even though nothing entirely new is offered, since fellow musicians such as ATG, In Flames and Dark Tranquillity having already laid much of the ground work for the genre. Yet Soilwork was able to make incredible album on all accounts.

- Stunning musicianship, especially the guitar duo Peter and Ola, both are even flashier on this release then on Natural Born Chaos, (The other album that I have by them.) Also, Vocalist Byron (Aka Speed) has on of the best voices the genre has to offer. Besides his powerful raspy growl he has a great singing voice (This is apparently the first album he introduced the clean-channel vocals...) I also like how they are used more sparingly on this album (As opposed to N.B.C.) Drumming is actually quite varied and he offers a bit more than the traditional beats expected by the genre. The Bass provides a great wall of sound though it, in itself, is quite standard. And last are the Keys which are used appropriately to further thicken the bands wall the sound.

- Fantastic song writing, in fact, there is not one bad song on this album. Tracks like: Needlefeast and Shadowchild are par with anything written by any of the Melodic Death greats I mentioned above, truth is, every single song on this disk is listenable and each really brings its own artistic merit.

Like I had said earlier this album doesn't really break any ground in the genre, but it was par, if not exceeded the genre standards. Basically, it just kicks a lot if ass. (Similar to what Unearth's - Oncoming Storm was to Metal-core)

Favorite Songs: A Predator's Portrait, Shadowchild, Bastard Chain and Needlefeast.
-4.5 Stars.


IF YOU LIKED, AGREED OR APPRECIATED THIS. PLEASE CLICK YES FOR:
"Was this review helpful?"

metal or any other genre, but since metal is my music of choice, let's just leave it at metal :) Anyone who has seen my top 25 albums of all time, knows that this album has a spot there. and for good reason. Though soilwork have since become a pale shadow of themselves, their first four albums are all amazing though this one stands out the most. their first two albums are just at the gates ripoffs. great stuff but if i want at the gates, i'll listen to at the gates. However with this album, they finally got their melodic death thrash experimentation sound down to a T.

First off, Speed has the PERFECT thrash metal voice. They should have never slowed down their sound because he was born to sing thrash. His clean vocals are good but get annoying FAST but here they are sprinkled around his insane thrash attack so it fits in PERFECT. The guitars are beutiful. If they are not thrash attacking, then they are playing some of the most awesome guitar solos and melodies to ever to behold by any band ever. The drumming is top notch, it's a shame he left the band though I can't blame him, figure number 5 is ****. He's not a drumming god by any means (IMO) but he's extremely solid for this band's quirky style of thrash melody.

The thing I love most about this album is the total fu**ing darkness of it. It's got huge dark overtones, this album is so depressing and dark that I can't even describe it. In each song there is a feeling of hoplesness, despair, death, and just being beaten down into nothing. I love it. Grand Failure Anthem is my theme song and it's one of the greatest songs of all time, any band any style of music.

I really don't know what else i can see about this musical artwork masterpiece. Beyond question, it's one of my favorite cds and a classic. It will be here forever long after we are gone. Whether soilwork continues to blow or gets better over time, we should all cherish and thank them for this masterful album.

After hearing "The Chainheart Machine" last year and moving the album to the top of my "favorite albums ever" list, I was absolutely astounded when I heard "A Predator's Portrait." There was no way another album would come along to surpass Soilwork's sophomore album. Then I heard "A Predator's Portrait" . . . unlike several of the other reviews I've read regarding this album, in my opinion Predator is even better than Chainheart! The six members that make up Soilwork are true geniuses, Predator being the ultimate proof of that. The guitar riffs are rhythmically and melodically incredible. How Wicher and Frenning keep penning these melodies is beyond me. EVERY solo is fantastic and has something to like. The guest solo that "IA" delivers on the song Needlefeast leaves me speechless. The bass is mixed more prominently and on this album the drummer, Ranta, and bass player, Flink, mesh better then ever . . . both monsters at their instruments. Soilwork's keyboard element needs special mention as it absolutely gels the magic of this band. Always atmospheric, the keyboard work emphasizes the strong melodies that run through out all their songs yet never gets too "in your face." Finally, the vocalist, Strid, is my favorite singer in the genre. His voice is absolutely brutal and hate filled, yet clean and audible at the same time. With this album he's begun to deliver cleanly voiced, melodic choruses and he does an outstanding job! Strid's singing voice is excellent and I'm even more impressed by his ability to write such melodic vocal components. All of these elements combine to achieve, in my opinion, the pinnacle of melodic metal music. A Predator's Portrait gets my highest recommendation.

_A Predator's Portrait_ further establishes Soilwork as the leader of the Swedish metal scene (as long as you take Opeth out of the equation -- Opeth is beyond any description as pedestrian as "metal"). If you examine their individual qualities in a critical vacuum, they are easily compared to a number of other Swedish metal artists, such as In Flames, At the Gates, or Dark Tranquillity. However, when you observe their perfected interlacing of familiar elements, you see the reasons that this band is simply my favorite in the genre, bar none.

Soilwork busts out of the gates with the force of a derailed train, evident from the get-go with the pummeling opener "Bastard Chain". It eviscerates with bloodthirsty riffing and an aggressive disregard for melody that makes the chorus nearly indecipherable from the rest of it all. The guitar leads are uniformly stunning and set a high standard that each song easily meets. Soilwork eases up a bit after the opener, but not by too much. The music remains heavy but with some guitar harmonies and a bit of clean vocals, there's a bit of melody to go along with it. "Needlefeast"'s glistening guitar harmonies and its forlorn-but-infectious chorus is good contrast, although it really loses none of its aggression for its melodic factor. The whole albums is heavy +++. Even "The Analyst", which is perhaps the catchiest song here, is still combative metal and loses practically none of its aggressive bite.

But there's a drama to the music to go along with the intensity. "Grand Failure Anthem" has a tragic weight thrown upon the shoulders of its listener, contributed equally by Speed's desperate vocals and also the grave tenor of the mammoth riffing. "Structure Divine" is coarse and fast, but eerie and dark. "A Predator's Portrait" is punishing yet enchantingly surreal. "Shadowchild", possibly my favorite Soilwork song of them all, is thrashy but balances with a certain pleading emotion with riffs that sound like a theme for the apocalypse.

The keyboards have little presence, but you _would_ notice a significant change if they were somehow taken out. They accentuate the color of the music, oh so subtly, juxtaposing a somewhat surreal quality against the brutal guitar framework. More so on _Natural Born Chaos_ Svennson's keyboards _add_ to the music, but _A Predator's Portrait_ still wouldn't be the same without them, if that makes sense.

And by the way, the guitar solos are awesome.

And to further establish this band's good taste, the title track features the demon god himself, Mikael Akerfeldt. Akerfeldt sings cleanly for chorus with a poignancy that only his distinct voice can provide. The contrast of Akerfeldt's chilling croon with Speed's abrasive voice is weird and sick but good.

A quick note: The tracklisting Amazon has for this CD is different than my own. I have a Nuclear Blast pressing out of Europe somewhere, and it doesn't have the song "Asylum Dance". That's a drag, because more Soilwork is always good! The song order is different on my CD too. Be educated! Don't end up with the one I have! You'll miss out! And then you'll be mad! You'll want to burn stuff! You'll want to break things!

God, I love Soilwork. They are one of the best melodic death metal bands ever, and I just can't get enough of these guys. I went out and picked up "A Predator's Portrait" over the weekend and I must say after listening to it numerous times, this is without a doubt Soilwork's best album of all time compared to the other three albums (Natural Born Chaos, Figure Number Five, and Stabbing The Drama) that I own. Every song on this album is melodic, ferocious, and in your face. Bjorn "Speed" Strid is an awesome vocalist. Not only can he scream and growl ferociously, he's also got a great clean singing voice as well (this is actually the first Soilwork album to ever introduce his clean voice). Ola Frenning and Peter Wichers are really on fire on the guitars here. They just let off a barrage of fast heart pounding guitar riffs that will grab you right by the throat, and endless leads and solos that will make your jaw drop in sheer delight. On here you've also got good bass from Ola Flink, awesome keyboard effects from Carlos Holmberg, and awesome drumming from Henry Ranta.

The Songs

1. Bastard Chain - The opening song, and my favorite. The drumming is very intense. Love the solos BTW. 10/5
2. Like The Average Stalker - 5/5
3. Needlefeast - 5/5
4. Neurotica Rampage - 5/5
5. The Analyst - 5/5
6. Grand Failure Anthem - 5/5
7. Structure Divine - 5/5
8. Shadowchild - Love the chorus on here. 5/5
9. Final Fatal Force - 5/5
10. A Predator's Portrait - Great closing song. This features guest vocals from Opeth's Mikael Akerfeldt. 5/5

Overall a great album, and a true work of art.

Anyways if you're a true metalhead like myself, this album is yours to have. Buy it now!!

Also be sure to check out these albums as well:
Blackwater Park - Opeth
Slaughter of the Soul - At The Gates
Whoracle - In Flames
Damage Done - Dark Tranquility
Anthems of Rebellion - Arch Enemy

LONG LIVE SOILWORK!!

Soilwork made a quantum leap from The Chainheart Machine with this release. A Predator's Portrait marked the band's fledgling flirtation with clean vocals, an addiction that, IMHO, eventually ruined the band. On here, however, the soaring choruses to many of these songs are the perfect juxtaposition of beauty and fragility against a raging backdrop of heavy thrash guitars, pummeling doublebass drums, searing twin guitar melodies, and the harsh semi-death vocals of vocalist 'Speed' Strid.

The music is not quite death metal, although a great deal of aesthetics point in that direction. The vocals and guitars just aren't heavy enough, I suppose. The album is stuck in a semi-thrash/heavy/groove area, with ambient keyboards and lush melodies pouring from every musical crevice.

"Bastard Chain" is a piledriving melodic opener to the album. Devoid of clean vocals and consistent in its brutal pace, the song would not have been out of place on TCM or Steelbath Suicide, the debut. Only with the next song, my persoanl fave, "Like The Average Stalker," do things get interesting. The song moves slightly slower, and the melodic guitars breathe even more as the dual guitars of Wichers and Frenning wrap around the pleasure center of your brain. Speed uses this chance to unleash a taste of his clean singing as he sings the low-key chorus to the song. When the full-on Maidenisms of "Needlefeast" explode through the speakers, the gorgeous chorus is already expected. "Neurotica Rampage" should be noted just for the excellent keyboard work and amazing solo. "The Analyst" is a slower, experimental track with an unusual chorus. "Shadowchild" boasts another great chorus, while both "Grand Failure Anthem" and "Structure Divine" have even more tasty guitarwork and Henry Ranta's drumming pummels all. "Final Fatal Force" is my least favorite, and just fails to stand out. The title track is amazing, not just for its excellent lead melody and effectively speedy drumwork, but for its doomy chorus with guest vocals from Opeth's Mikael Akerfeldt up against Speed's harsh shrieks. My personal copy does not have "Asylum Dance," but I hear good things, so pick up a version with that song added.

Although some prefer the straightforward Maiden-on-crack-meets-Dark Tranquility sound of In Flames, Soilwork deliver a powerful melodic punch that is still very aggressive as well as accessible. A Predator's Portrait is a shining example of what the Gothenburg sound was before experimentation ground to a halt and the style devoured itself.

Besides Opeth, Soilwork are most definitely the best Gothenburg melodic death metal band. They have a sort of thrash feel, crossed with really cool 80's style guitar harmonies and amazing solo's to match. For quite some time A Predator's Portrait was among my favorite CDs and is still one of the most often played. I think it's a great follow up to The Chainheart Machine, lacking some in the pure heaviness, but more than making upf for that with phenominal songwriting and musicianship. I've been lucky enough to get an advance copy of the new Soilwork album, Natural Born Chaos, and I have to say, its another giant leap in the right direction. The thing that sets Soilwork apart from so many of the Gothenburg death metal acts is the fact that they progress where others remain dormant. With every album Soilwork moves forward, improving musicianship and songwriting. If you're a new listener to death metal I would say that starting with either A Predators Portrait or Natural Born Chaos(as of yet, unreleased) would be the best move. A Predator's Portrait is the type of album that has some songs that instantly become some of your favorites and others that sound just alright at first, but grow on you and end up becoming more enjoyable than most of the others. It's definitely a worthwhile CD to ass to any collection.

While at first listen, one is tempted to lump Soilwork in with the mass of melodic death metal that is coming out of Europe today, closer attention will reveal many unique aspects of the band that make them worth listening to. Their latest album, "A Predator's Portrait" goes a long way in further establishing their unique niche among such death metal greats as Dark Tranquility and In Flames. First off, the guitar riffs on "A Predator's Portrait" are extremely head-banger friendly, reminiscent of early Metallica. This is a welcome relief after the excellent, but often unorthodox guitar work of In Flame's "Clayman" or Dark Tranquilty's at times over-cerebral "Haven." Soilwork is visceral and primal with ripping riffs and little pretense. Also, the clean, goth-ish choruses are wonderful and set the band apart from other death metal acts whose over-use of the death growl that can make their albums monotonous. Highlights of the album are "Like the Average Stalker," "Needlefeast" and the title song.