Last year Erik Thomas reviewed a band from Nashville Tennessee called Inferi who released an album called The Path of Apotheosis.  To me that was one of the better melodic death releases of last year and kind of came out of nowhere. Zoom forward to present day Mariestad Sweden and Implode.  Implode was formed in 2006 and it definitely shows in the playing and the recording on The I of Everything, a compilation of 4 digitally released previous thematic EPs.

Implode play a throwback melodic death/thrash style that reminds me of elements of bands like Hatesphere, Darkane and even Black Dahlia Murder.  This is an extremely guitar driven album and there is no shortage of riffs here. There is a bevy of strong guitar leads and harmonies throughout this whole album.

Take a track like “Cursed Dead Sun”. It very much reminds me of a cross between Darkane’s Layers of Lies era guitar work mixed with more of an American style with the blast beat sections. It is very hard to not want to head bang to this!

If I have a gripe with this record it might be the vocal performance and granted it is difficult to break away from what one knows and clearly Implode is comfortable playing this style and have built up some serious chops. Unlike many of the older Swedish bands that have played a similar style to Implode there are no chorusish clean vocal parts at all on this record and that is a good thing.

I of Everything is one of those records you can listen to the whole thing while running on a treadmill at the gym. It’s aggressive enough to keep your workout tempo up beat but it has enough breaks in the songwriting to bring your heartrate back down.

I am very surprised that this band is not signed. At least at the point of this review I do not believe that this is the case.  This is an incredible production for being self released. Dare I say I like the production on this album better than Inferi’s album that came out last year.

This record is very much for fans of up beat melodic death thrash. It is a throwback in terms of some of the arrangements (a.l.a At The Gates, Soilwork).  I am excited to see in the future how Implode’s material matures and if they will continue to be as guitar focused with the riffing.

As much as we have come to expect bands from Sweden to produce Melodic Gothenburg styled assaults Implode do it with their own moxie. Take for a track like “A Manifest”, which has some killer drum double bass grooves over some as melodies. These riffs styles are nothing new but the are very well played and the songs are well composed and played.

Check this one out for sure. It kills

 

[Visit the band's website]

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