DEAD SUN

Doggedly determined to release as much top-quality death metal into the ether as humanly possible, Rogga Johansson is the great unsung hero of contemporary brutality. DEAD SUN is just one of the projects that the Swede has at his disposal: this year has already seen new material from FURNACE, HOUSE BY THE CEMETARY, LEPER COLONY, PAGANIZER, GHOULHOUSE, PUTREVORE, THOSE WHO BRING THE TORTURE, WAR MAGIC and RIBSPREADER, so it seems safe to say that Johansson's enthusiasm for making dark and destructive music shows no signs of diminishing. One of the more melodic and straightforward of his endeavors, DEAD SUN may be the ideal entry point for curious observers. Yet another powerful demonstration of death metal purity, "This Life Is A Grave" is the ninth full-length album released under the name, and one of the most potent.

It begins with "Primordial Knowledge (Where Ubbo-Sathia Reigns)" , a textbook example of how Johansson has absorbed every aspect of death metal's stylistic spread, becoming highly adept at working within each subgenre division without blurring the lines between them. As punchy and direct as AMON AMARTH but several times filthier and more furious, it boasts countless hooks and razor-sharp riffs, conjuring an atmosphere of ominous grit along the way. A million miles from the shiny melo-death of the mainstream, DEAD SUN are still able to honor the basic precepts of classic metal, and each subsequent song reinforces the view that Johnsson's chameleonic songcraft is still evolving and growing in stature.

The sheer number of riffs that this deathly diehard writes each year is one of the great marvels of modern heavy music. On "This Life Is A Grave", he drops some of his most lethally effective yet. "A Midnight Serenade" is a fizzing eruption of ferocity, with melodies hard-wired into the melee and a catchy refrain that is closer to PARADISE LOST than to the Swede's usual death metal reference points. Similarly, "Sin Collector" is all windswept wonder and war-hungry urgency wrapped up in a perfect three-minute bundle of hostility, with vocals that puncture the barrage with a zombie drill sergeant's fierce authority. The majority of these songs rattle along at a stoic, mid-paced lick, eschewing blastbeats and dissonance in favor of getting straight to the point. "Nighttime Butterfly" is a particularly fine song, with more than a little rock 'n' roll swagger to it and clear proof that meat and potatoes are delicious if seasoned correctly. Meanwhile, "She Drank My Soul" is an absurdly catchy and atmospheric thing with mournful, gothic undertones, and a grand instrumental detour that injects fresh color into DEAD SUN's myopic shtick.

As death metal's most prolific exponent by far, Rogga Johansson could easily churn stuff out without worrying too much about specifics, but "This Life Is A Grave" honors DEAD SUN's legacy (their first demo emerged in 1997!) while sharpening their leader's songwriting to a fine and devastating point. Yet another triumph, and one that has the potential to draw a ton of new people into Johansson's unrelenting web of wickedness.