There is a funny thing about supergroups, a gathering of premier musicians usually results in releasing an album(s) that are disappointing for the big portion of fans. The hype that surrounds those bands is almost always sky high, and when the actual record comes, the hype balloon bursts leaving just a trace of unfulfilled expectations. But when you think a little bit about it, there are no reasons to hype about bands made from famous artists who have a high place in the minds of fans and who gathered huge amounts of credibility, respect and success by playing good music. The thing is that they probably just want to play music that they love, unburdened by expectations from fans and critics, with the freedom to do anything they like.
That’s the case with The Resistance, metal supergroup from Sweden containing members of Grave, Dark Tranquility, In Flames and The Haunted. When first news came out, back in 2010 that Marco Aro, former vocalist of The Haunted, and Jesper Strömblad mastermind and one of the founding members of In Flames, will form a new band, expectations were pretty high, even if they said that The Resistance will play the kind of music they love, without any compromises. The first album came in 2011, gathering mediocre reviews. Critics described it as subpar take on old school death metal that has nothing to look for in today’s metal scene.
A couple of weeks ago their sophomore effort got released. Coup De Grâce is a logical continuation of their music, another kick in the face for all who think that death metal should always be evolving, changing its sound and never staying the same. This is old school death metal with an infusion of thrash elements that will hit you again and again for around thirty-five minutes, leaving you laying face-down in a pile of your blood.
The guys from The Resistance just don’t stop; they deliver pounding riffs, excellent drumming and haunting vocals on all twelve tracks, with the exclusion of one-minute long intro, Death March. This kind of music doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel; it just wants to make your ears bleed while you laugh in sickening joy.
The songs are short, brutal and direct, without single filler. When you listen to Coup De Grâce reaching for skip button will not be necessary. Production is raw, putting harsh vocals of Marco Aro in the front, followed by the impressive drum work of Christofer Barkensjö; songwriting is simple but effective with Jesper doing excellent guitar work.
This record will not fascinate fans of death metal. But for people that, like me, want to listen something proper brutal from time to time, this record is a perfect choice. So insert CD and put on your cup protector because Coup De Grâce is not caring where it punches, it just goes to the first body part it sees.
