---

Already existing 15 years and formerly know as black metal band Sargatanas Reign these Swedes now deliver something else. With Deathquintet they play a different metal style.

First track is metalcore with some fast blast beating parts, but can not really impress me. In the second track they add more melody and the track sounds groovy. Personallly I'm not a fan of the singing in the first 2 songs, it sounds aggressive, but I just don't like his sound. That's why I'm glad that they hired some guests to perform on the other songs. Tompa Lindberg, Roberth Karlsson, Mathias Lillmans and Joakim Göthberg all take care of some lead vocals on the other tracks.

The first four tracks are all metalcore style, but with "As the Canvas Frays" that changes. This is a song that leans more towards old school death metal and Roberth's grunting sees to that even more. For me this is the best track so far. The rest of the material is in death metal style, think a mix of Swedish death with more technical American elements and some Carcass/At the Gates style riffs. Fans of the Haunted can take a listen also, but the songs are not yet strong enough to compete with them.

Very strange that the first four tracks differ so much in style from the second part of the album. I have no idea what direction the band will proceed in, but personally I like the death metal style better.

An album with 2 faces, but not bad.

---