Being a metal band from Sweden is like having poutine from Canada, chocolate from Switzerland, or cigars from Cuba; the two simply go together. Moreso, being a melodic death metal band from Sweden means instant interest.
Although they are listed as ‘melodic death metal’ on their label’s website, the only way One Without can be included into the genre is because they are melodic. Thoughts of a Secluded Mind is much more akin to the Metal/Rock/Pop listing the band has on their Myspace page. There is absolutely nothing death metal about this. The melodic elements of the band’s sound are due in large part to vocalist Catrin Feymark (the album’s only plus). Unfortunately, a lot of her catchy choruses are undercut by the awful backup screams from guitarist Kenny Boufadene. The band actually sounds a lot like past radio-toppers Evanescence; female vocalist, atypical song structure, occasional goth overtones, and trying too hard to be catchy. It gets to the point where the band sounds like they are forcing boring chord progressions and predictability to get that radio push.
As I stated before, the album’s sole strength is the vocals. Unfortunately, the words that come from that same mouth are as bad as the backup screams. There is a song called “Your Game”, in which the chorus goes “you make led me into your game”. Need I say more? On the good hand, the vocals fit the songwriting perfectly; bland, predictable, and unoriginal. There isn’t one moment of “wow” to be found. It is just there, sitting, emitting sonic waves that are so easy to forget that you wonder if the band even remembers that they recorded them.
Expect to hear One Without on your local alternative metal station soon.
(3.4/10)
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