Great Deceiver

For full-length number three, this rather eccentric bunch combine a metal and hardcore edge with some groove, melody and experimentation, adding to their sound while taking away some of the overtly nu sonics they’ve toyed with (successfully, mind you) in the past. I guess I have to mention that Tomas Lindberg (At the Gates, Disfear) is the singing sensation here, and I do so grudgingly not because he stinks — he puts in a great performance on this disc — but because the rest of the band should not be neglected. Be it slug-paced epics ("Discontent”) or short hardcore flares ("Escapeplan Routed”), these guys handle it all with maturity and skill. With great guitar riffs covered in cool textures and a drummer that can be fancy but mainly keeps to the basics, the Great Deceiver have everything just right on this impressive disc. And how cool is it to see a band truly doing their own thing?