It’s albums like these that make me wish I’d had the foresight to see how far these guys would progress. But how could I have known that corny MiDi synths would one day be replaced by trickling ambience, recycled Carcass riffs by the sweet nectar of fluid fretwork, pseudo-techno rhythms by a siege of dance floor carpet-bombing?
Something happened after Natural Born Chaos. Soilwork somehow managed to combine their love of hard rock strutting with Gothenburg blood and Oakenfold house in a formula that didn’t stink to high heaven (unlike their previous efforts). After fumbling over two albums worth of copy-catting and another pair of horribly cheesy (because of how serious they were) “crossover” slabs of melodic death, Figure Number Five emerges as a gleaming force of untouchable perfection, well balanced in every direction the band dares to step. No one overplays: Everyone works together to mold a lock-and-key wall of sound, meaty and swollen with the right combination of rhythm, melody, inventiveness, and atmosphere.
Figure Number Five has not only slapped my ass backwards, it is without a doubt going to be my favorite metal album of the year. Gotta say I didn’t see this one coming at all… but you’re never too old to learn from your mistakes.
(2323 W. El Segundo Blvd. Hawthorne, CA 90250)