Band: Soilwork
Title: A Predator’s Portrait
Label: Nuclear Blast
Distribution: PIAS
Release date: 03/10/2008
Review: CD (re-release)

Nuclear Blast are re-releasing older, sometimes difficult to find material from different ‘huge’ names within the Metal scene, such as Meshuggah, Children Of Bodom, In Flames or Dimmu Borgir, including bonus material, and this series is called the ‘Reloaded Collection’. One of the re-loads is Soilwork’s third full length, and their first on Nuclear Blast, A Predator’s Portrait, originally released in early 2001. Sweden’s masters of Soilwork actually started under the moniker Inferior Breed at the end of the first half of the nineties. Throughout the years they did evolve a lot, musically, and in mean time they’ve become one of the most important Swedish names within the international Death / Thrash scene. In the early years, their sound was more Death Metal-oriented, and just like the two first albums, Steelbath Suicide, 1998, and The Chainheart Machine, 2000 (both released on Listenable Records), A Predator’s Portrait stands for very ‘Swedish’ Metal. Meaning: melodic, thrashing, catchy, groovy and technical. Even though the songs aren’t original at all (think: In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Darkane and so on), Soilwork succeed to catch my breath most of the time. The rhythmic and mostly fast tracks are interspersed with some atmospheric keyboards, and vocally Björn ‘Speed’ Strid seems to experiment more than before. As from this album on, Soilwork’s sound has become more mainstream and more Thrash-oriented, and the current musical approach of the band clearly finds its roots on A Predator’s Portrait. Line-up on this album, besides Björn: Peter Wichers (g), Ola Fink (b), Henry Ranta (d), Ola Frenning (g) and Carlos Del Olmo Holmberg (k). Produced and mixed by Fredrik Nordström, with guest vocals by Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth, Bloodbath etc) and a guest solo by Mattias Eklundh (Freak Kitchen, ex-Sins Of Omission, ex-Mortum); total running time: fifty minutes. The extras on this re-release are a bonus song and a so-called ‘enhanced’ part, including wallpapers and an impressive photo gallery.

--/100

Ivan Tibos.