Deathbreed – New World Order

“New World Order” marks the debut full-length for Swedish death metal band Deathbreed. Sweden has a long, rich history of death metal, ranging from the old-school bands like Entombed and Unleashed, to the more modern-sounding melodeath sensations Arch Enemy and In Flames, among others. Additionally, there’s a whole host of new death metal bands that pay incredible homage for the aforementioned old-schoolers. For that reason, you might expect Deathbreed to fall into one of these camps, but they really don’t. The best way to describe Deathbreed is as a modern death metal band that does everything right, but without trying to directly emulate or rip-off any other bands. The riffs that the band presents on this album are not exactly filthy, but they aren’t melodic either. Instead, they’re semi-technical, not unlike some of the later Cannibal Corpse records (in other words, they're crazy hard to play, but aren't Brain Drill-like). And perhaps Cannibal Corpse as a whole really is the best comparison to Deathbreed. It might be unfair to call Deathbreed generic, but really, when someone says death metal without any other adjective or prefix, this is exactly the sound that comes to mind. It’s bludgeoning, it’s brutal, but it doesn’t go overboard or technicality, breakdowns, or poor production. Granted, it’s not devoid or sweeps or chugging, but it doesn’t rely on them as a crutch.

But this presents the fundamental flaw with “New World Order”. If it doesn’t stand out from the crowd in terms of style, it at least needs to have great songs. Nothing on this record is bad, but it certainly can’t match up to the aforementioned Corpse. The problem is that with so many death metal records out there, it makes “New World Order” a bit redundant. I’ve listened to the record quite a few times now, and it does have its moments (“Surveillance” has a really cool solo, and the opening riff to “In The Name of Democracy” sounds like it was written by someone as crazy as Pat O’Brien), but there is not too much that can be recalled when the album is over. If you’re looking for a record to get some aggression out, or just to bang your head to, this will get the job done. The album is by all means incredibly technically proficient and well put-together, but it lacks the songwriting necessary to truly make you come back time and time again.

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Highlights

"Surveillance"

"In The Name of Democracy"

Final Rating

3.4/5 or 68%. 

Written by Scott