(N)Utopia

I never really heard of 'Graveworm' until last year and even then did not think much to give them a chance. Well I was wrong. Based upon a song of theirs I found on a cd sampler which was 'Hateful Design' I bought the album '(N)Utopia'. I have to admit the rest of the songs took a while to grow on me. Since then I have to name 'Graveworm' one of the most talented and gifted bands I have ever bared witness to. '(N)Utopia' cannot be summed up in just a few listens. It takes lot longer to really let it sink in. 'Hateful Design' is the song for which the rest of the album would be judged and fairly so for it is brilliant, masterful and brutal as anything out there but with more beauty and grace than most bands are capable.

'I The Machine' starts off slow but thats only for the first 5 seconds before being pelted by savage guitars and keyboards. Keyboards! They are amazing courtesy of Sabine Mair. Whose beautiful countenance is the dueler to her beastly playing. I will admit the song does get a little boring when compared to the rest of the album but at very least you are guaranteed the rest of the album has much more depth. Then we are introduced to Stefan's vocals which are inhuman at least. The stamina in his voice is astonishing and ear shattering, just listen to 'Which Way' the first 30 seconds in and also on 'MCMXCII' (1992 in roman numerals) during the chorus. Stefan's voice through the whole duration is on fire. He sings the hell out of every song and believe me the rest of the band plays the hell out of it to. With this being their 5th release and duly so their most well put together album it comes as no surprise why 'Graveworm' are so dedicated to their fans and music.

This album differentiates from their predecessors in that we see progression. Not necessarily in a new direction but more of a one that sees 'Graveworm' become more polished and put together. I have never seen 'Graveworm' play live but have heard stories about how well they do so when compared to the great quality of their recordings. This is melodic blackened gothic metal played right. If you enjoy the atmosphere of 'Dark Tranquility' and the keyboards of 'Dimmu Borgir' and 'Old Mans Child' then you will love '(N)Utopia for all it is worth.

Standout tracks: 'Hateful Design', 'Which Way' and 'MCMXCII'. Also let it be known that 'Graveworm' likes to do covers from well known 80's and 90's songs. 'Bonnie Tyler's 'I Need a Hero' and 'REM' 'Losing My Religion'. Very unorthodox but they do it well and make it catchy.