Ut nos supervenio

This is the second demo by this relatively unknown band. Whereas their first demo "A touch of death" was more of thrash metal/hardcore mix, leaning a bit towards metalcore, this new showcase takes on an entirely different approach. More than two years have passed since that demo, and they have definitely evolved and matured.

There’s not really any genre to label Stridsvagn with, they seem to pick this and that from all over the place, creating a highly schizophrenic musical experience. At times the riffing reeks of old school thrash metal, whereas the drumming might ooze of grindcore, all while vocally it sounds like death metal. And then it switches into a weird breakdown of emo-esque atmosphere, creeps on into the screamo-landscape only to evolve into an unorthodox grindcore experience. Yup, that’s pretty much what this sounds like. But don’t think they’ll stop there. You’ll hear plenty of jazzy breakdowns, death metal chugging riffage, high-pitch squeals and whatnot. It’s a bit like taking parts of Cephalic Carnage, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Converge, and mixing it with some ‘softer’ elements.

I can’t say I’m totally convinced by "Ut nos supervenio". It feels like they need a little more time to grow into their new style. While they show off a tad technicality they can’t fully pull this schizo-jazz metal off. There’s still some heavier elements missing, and at times it still leans too much towards hardcore to be labeled as death metal. But maybe that’s what they want, I don’t know. It’s not really for me, though.

Originally written for http://www.mylastchapter.net