Soilwork Album: “Natural Born Chaos”

Didn't Soilwork just release 'A Predator's Portrait'? Seems like it, but now all of a sudden in 2002 we have the Devin Townsend produced 'Natural Born Chaos'. And it is spectacular from start to finish, this band is easily the hottest running in the Gothenburg metal scene. Townsend must be given credit for adding that extra touch of melody on this album. On first listen, NBC will sound like an album that focuses way too hard on being catchy and not enough on that death metal brutality. But give it some time, and everything will blend together in a mass of metal perfection. I really can't find any faults within this entire CD. Vocalist 'Speed' gives a full on aggressive assault in every song, and when the time comes to sing cleanly, he shines even greater.

Opener "Follow the Hollow" is classic Soilwork. A very aggressive song that switches back and forth between clean and death vocals until we hit the amazing lead work that Soilwork has become known for. Next comes "As We Speak" which utilizes keyboards in a tremendous way. This is without a doubt my favorite song on the CD, extremely memorable. "The Bringer" uses some nice acoustic guitar at the beginning and is definitely the catchiest of all the songs (features another clever use of keyboards in the solo section). "No More Angels" shreds and rips its way through, a huge standout on this record. Closer, "Song of the Damned" ends this album perfectly with a catchy as all hell main riff and great vocals.

I don't know how the metal community will recieve this album. Soilwork has written an album full of catchy metal songs, and that usually is a bad thing for such an elitist fanbase. But let me say, these songs would never be accepted by the mass public and are still metal as can be. This is my favorite Soilwork album, and I've heard each one many times. Don't miss out on the best album released so far in 2002. Highly recommended.

Two bands known under the name of In Flames and Dark Tranquillity managed to give death-metal a more artistic dimension, bringing melodies into their songs, avoiding the monotonous sound of straight death, that make me sick to the point I wonder if these death-metal bands enjoy their own sound (I sometimes say to myself "I'm very sorry for these guys").

But Soilwork is not one of them. They are the younger brother of In Flames and Dark Tranquillity. The three bands are from Gothenburg, Sweden and their new melodic sound is now known as the Gothenburg style.

But while In Flames are losing their talent with their latest releases ('Clayman' and 'Reroute to Remain'), Soilwork has made progress. The growling vocals are not the best I've heard, but the combination between the power of Speed's vocals and the softness of the chorus are made like in no other band.

Please, don't compare to Linkin Park or other mainstream horror. Have we heard the same album ? I wouldn't even have the idea to mention this band to describe this. If you have never heard about Swedish metal bands, I think this isn't for you. Anyway, one thing clearly needs to be said : this is 'love it or hat it' album.

My ratings :

To conclude, I'd say this is a great album. Soilwork has done some good innovation. But one default is that it's overall repetitive, since it always uses the same combination (aggressive verses/cool chorus). But don't let that fool you !

Ok, I just want to say that......I'm really not even a metal fan. To be honest the heaviest stuff I listened to before like a year or so ago was things like Nine Inch Nails, and Tool. Which are still favorite bands of mine, and are quite heavy in their own way. But to the point.......for people who are like me...........this is a different kind of heavy. And so when I heard about Soilwork, I was a bit skeptical and brushed it off as just another metal band with blazing solos, lightning fast riffing, and super charged vocals. But when I heard this album i was FLOORED! Absolutely. The reason being, because what Soilwork does (on this album in-particular) is they blend the heavy, with the beautiful. And it's strange using the word beautiful to describe a heavy metal band. But it's very fitting. It's a new way of looking at heavy music that's for sure. The thundering drums of henry ranta are a perfect backdrop for the awesome keyboard sounds that set the atmosphere for the absolutely DEVASTATING guitars on the album. And the album is recorded PERFECTLY! It sounds great...everything is in its place, it sounds HUGE, and nothing is too overbearing. All of the band members are talented people, and it shows with this great album. GET IT NOW!

I was introduced to Soilwork with A Predator's Portrait and it took me a while to get hooked to the sound. (but now i love it)

Second, I picked up this album: Natural Born Chaos, and when I first put it into the cd player, I was completely blown away.

I mean, I lose myself when listening to this album. The "clean vocals" are a very nice touch. While some people don't like them, I really think that they add a great level of depth to the songs. They don't over-do them at all.

New listeners along with existing Soilwork fans, will enjoy this album very much. (it's a wonderful alternative to the new In Flames Album).

Oh yeah, if you haven't picked up "Chainheart Machine" by Soilwork yet, you're really missing out. That's probably their best album, but "Natural Born Chaos" really gives it a run for the money in my opinion.

I have been an avid Soilwork fan for about a couple years now. I started off with their 2005 album Stabbing The Drama, which I really liked. Then I started listening to their older albums & began to love it. This album, in my mind, is their best creation to date & one of my favorite melodic death metal albums ever.

This whole album is jam-packed with amazing songwriting. Every song on here has a distinguishable feel to it. From the brilliant opener Follow The Hollow, all the way to the somber closer Soilworker's Song Of The Damned, it is a flawless piece of art. The choruses on these songs are some of the most infectious I have ever heard in metal. So be prepared to have at least one song from this album stuck in your head for a while!

Bjorn "Speed" Strid is one of the best metal vocalists in the world. Other than the guitarists, he makes this album what it is. Along with his fantastic harsh vocals, his clean vocals are godly. As I mentioned before, the choruses on each of these songs get stuck in your head easily, which is one of the main reasons why I keep listening to this album & never get tired of it. Ola Frenning & Peter Wichers make an excellent guitar/songwriting duo. Their solos are awesome & well-written. The riffs are smartly written as well, and are quite heavy in places.

The other musicians in Soilwork are great as well, mainly keyboardist Sven Karlsson, who creates an atmosphere unlike anything I have heard so far. Bassist Ola Flink, despite not being heard well, provides a solid backbone to Soilwork's attack. And finally, drummer Henry Ranta puts on a good show with well-placed fills & nice variation. In my humble opinion, he's one of the most underrated drummers out there. Even though he's not as "flashy" as current drummer Dirk Verbeuren, he gets the job done behind the kit.

Top it all off with a perfect production job & a couple guest vocal spots (Black Star Deceiver & Soilworker's Song Of The Damned, even though you can't tell he's on the latter song) by everyone's favorite metal madman, Devin Townsend, and you've got an incredible album! This album is highly recommended to those new to Soilwork or those who are getting into melodic death metal. Don't miss out on a brilliant album!