Swedish Melodic Death Metal has been one of the driving forces of Metal over the past 15 years and The Duskfall were a part of the scene 1999-2008. Metal Mind Productions has brought their 2002 debut, Frailty and their 2003 follow up, Source back to life in 2 CD Digipak featuring demos and bonus tracks. This relatively unknown band deserves a listen as their sound is very much in that Gothenburg sound, ala In Flames, At The Gates and early Soilwork. Heavy, brash and good and another band that went under the radar released some good records and then broke up before anyone really knew them, outside their native area. Good stuff indeed.
First up is their debut record, Frailty. This re-issue features 13 tracks, including the bonus track and demos and is flat out fast and furious. Full of what makes the Swedish MeloDeath scene so great, The Duskfall lead off this disk with a punch to the stomach with opener, "The Light". Crunchy guitars fuel the fire here, with bashing, off tempo drums paving the way through this raspy voiced Metal gem. Next up is "Age of Errors" and they don't let go of the grasp they have around your throat and force feed you to headbang. This is some good shit, right here. And the production is damn killer, making this Metal jump out at you.
Frailty is filled to the hilt with guitar heavy riffing and fast double bass tunes that will not disappoint any fan of all things Swedish. The question is, "How did I never hear of this band before?" Tracks like "None" are worth the price of this CD alone, full of aggression, power and chugging guitar that will get those horns up in the air pretty quickly and the following songs like the hyper tempo'd "Farewell Song" and title track, "Frailty" will keep them up. Harmony guitar leads and melodic choruses will get stuck in your head from the get go and to resist is futile.
The 2nd disc, Source, is more of the same but even more brutal. Lead off track, "Case Closed" is completely bombastic and will knock you on your ass from note one. This is a no holds barred way to open a CD and all 11 songs follow suit. Slightly more melodic than their debut, Source benefits from the same great production and musical performances as Frailty and vocals are again of the raspy, shouted variety than of the completely Deathy, razorblade to the throat style. Check out the balls out fury of "The Destroyer", the awesome riffy groove of "Guidance" and the heaviness of "The Grand Scheme". This is some pretty damn awesome Swedish MeloDeath, right here kids.
If you are like me in asking "Who in the hell are The Duskfall?" trust me and give this puppy a spin. If you are a fan of the Gothenburg sound, then you will enjoy the hell out of The Duskfall, especially since you'll get 2 CD's for the price of one in the Digipak. If you're a Swedish Metal fan like me, then you already know if it comes outta Sweden, then it must be good.
It's heavy, melodic and from Sweden, what more do you need me to tell you. Go check out this killer 2 CD set….NOW!!
Frailty-Track List
- The Light
- Age of Errors
- Agoraphobic
- Poison the Waters
- None
- Farewell Song
- Frailty
- Tune of Slaughtered Hearts
- Just Follow
- Deliverance
- Unspoken (Bonus Track)
- The Light (Demo)
- None (Demo)
Source-Track List
- Case Closed
- Striving To Have Nothing
- The Grand Scheme
- Source
- Not A Good Sign
- Guidance
- Lead Astray
- The Destroyer
- Dawn Skies (Demo)
- Taking Control (Demo)
- Tune Of Slaughtered Hearts (Demo)
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