Perfection in Pain

I really like the green colour on the cover of this album. I only mention that because that is probably going to be your first impression of Corporation 187, who are a little known Swedish band of metalheads. That colour green has also left me with the idea that it isn't a tortured human face that appears on the cover, but in fact a frog tortured to look like a human. Thankfully, the actual music gives me other things to think about, such as which kind of headbanging I should choose (short and fast, which is worst for my neck) and whether I should play the album again from the start.

We're firmly in the thrash and death genres here, especially if your concept of death is capacious enough to include melodeath, which Corporation 187 deal in at certain moments. The important thing about any death thrash hybrid is that the music should be fast and brutal, without compromising too much for melody or atmosphere, unless that atmosphere is something like descending into a dungeon of torture to have your entrails ripped out, which most death thrash fans find acceptable (sometimes metal asks more questions than it answers). If you came here for speed you won't be disappointed, because these guys don't waste much time: there are maybe 5 minutes of mid-paced material on this album and the rest is quick, nor do those 5 minutes exist as long sections in particular songs, since the pace changes at least once every 30 seconds, rarely settling down and, with relatively short songs, never becoming stale. We are also much closer to thrash metal than death metal as a result of the riffing style, which isn't too technical and contains some of the same bounce and swing that can be found on the earlier albums by The Haunted and Nightrage, though 'Slaughter of the Soul' is the precedent for this style. Therefore, it's more of a neo-thrash sound than a classic Slayer template and sounds more modern in style and production when compared to the band's debut, 2000's 'Subliminal Fear'.

The production perhaps exaggerates the gap between this album and the earlier material, since it gives a lot more "juice" to the sound, particularly that of the guitars. 'Subliminal Fear' was dry and dusty, so much so that the guitars sounded almost clean at times, which necessitated speed taking the lead and left groove and subtlety out of the equation. 'Perfection in Pain' has a lot more bite and crunch to the sound and the riffs move and bound along in a more convincing manner, which I have always found very enjoyable in thrash metal, but some purists declare too catchy and modern. The pinches and frills and so on are more pronounced here and the solos are better planned (not just random bursts of thrash shredding), so augment and ornament the songs, sometimes quite melodically. The sound of the rhythm section also takes a step up from the debut, though the change results in a less extreme sound. The bass is more sinuous and bouncy than pure death or thrash metal would allow, though the drums don't give up on blasts or extreme patterns, even if the neo-thrash/melodeath traits force a slight shift. More often than not, the guitars are producing the hooks while the drums are maintaining speed and aggression, so there is rarely a compromise in sound. The vocals have changed hands since the previous album and Filip Carlsson is the superior presence: his lyrics are much clearer and have less odd English than his predecessor ('Straw Coloured Corpse' anyone?), while his roar is visceral and works very well with the speedier sections of the album. He sounds a little like Tomas Lindberg at times (without the lisp) and there's someone else in the genre that he reminds me of, but I can't bring him to mind.

There's a slight difficulty at this point. Having described the general sound of the album, I find it tricky to mention separate songs or choose favourites. The two opening songs are the shortest and perhaps some of the strongest, with a good choice of riffs and great focus, particularly 'Religious Connection'. 'My Life to Kill' probably edges it for intensity and great riffs and is my current recommendation for a sample. 'Violated Relation' is the other notably different track, using more textured riffs and slowing the pace a notch. We get a few mid-paced chuggers and tremolo work that aims less for heaviness than for atmosphere and melodeath poignance. None of the songs are really weak, nor are any of them absolute belters, but we end up with a consistently good album treading ground that has been lightly covered. I happen to be a big fan of the style and Corporation 187 do a very satisfying job.