ALBUM REVIEW: Unleashed – The Hunt For White Christ

Here I review the new album from legendary Swedish Death Metallers UNLEASHED! Their last album was absolutely epic, I hope this one is just as good!

1 Lead Us Into War opens things with traditional Unleashed sounds, a blistering combination of tremolo groove riffs, hammering drums and of course Viking themed lyrics passionately growled. The chorus is really catchy and everything storms along beautifully, starting off where the last album finished. The blackened elements Unleashed have always included add tons atmosphere to this anthemic war cry of devastatingly epic Death Metal filled with outstanding songwriting, fantastic lyrics and overall makes for a brilliant opening track. The guitar solo was fabulously melodic and stunning to listen to with plenty of shreds. Excellent work!
2 You Will Fall follows beautifully with cleaner guitars and a warmth that really allows the song to grow with full life force. The absolutely killer riffs that follow are just epic with some pummelling drums and grisly vocals. The performance is so tight and well rehearsed yet also very organic and human (regardless of the excellent production that does not suck any life from the music itself). The furious grind of the song provides wave after wave of astonishingly fantastic and incredibly melodic Death Metal. Brilliant!
3 Stand Your Ground chugs into fruition with full Swedish groove intact and a really headbang worthy pace. The production is incredible concise and really punchy which definitely suits the pace of the track, which is equally as atmospheric and rich as it is powerfully heavy. This is the kind of song that for me set Unleashed as one of the best bands in the Swedish Death Metal scene. Overall this song was a really killer march into more melodic territory but still retaining some awesomely crushing heaviness too. The guitar solo had a real old school In Flames vibe to it that was extremely smooth and played beautifully, excellent work there too. Another fantastic piece that was super catchy!
4 Gram has a really epic and abrupt entrance to it that works really well as the waves of punishing and yet incredibly atmospheric music hits you with full throttle. This song is a phenomenal example of how Unleashed have a very unique and brilliant sound to their music, something that they only can truly convey with this much impact. The drums on this track are insanely cool with a nice upbeat kick to them. Overall this is yet another really excellent track with some amazing consideration towards slower and more intense ideas as well as the blistering faster songs. Great work, nicely diversifying the records at the same time.
5 Terror Christ opens with more cleans that really elevate the more sombre side to the atmosphere but building it up with a truly epic drum pattern and soaring riffs just throw themselves in with full tremolo attack. I was expecting more of a slow burn piece but this thing is riff mania with tons of groove and punch to it, Unleashed still manage to add some really unexpected twists after their lengthy career, which is totally awesome. This is an absolutely must for headbangers. The guitar solo is incredibly melodic and played beautifully, really soaring over the mix with so much glorious precision, stunning. I think this song is probably going to end up being one of my favourites from the album, but we are still in the first half so time will tell. What I can say is this first half has been consistently entertaining and full of just amazing music. All killer, no filler! Let’s hope this stays the case.
6 They Rape The Land gives us blistering riffs, menacing groove and some hectically fantastic drumming. The grisly attack of the song is punctuated really well by excellently timed vocal hooks and an overall really epic traditionally groovy feel to things. The song has quite a light soundscape taking the foreground but is still equally intense and in your face as ever. There are some really nice little nuances within the progression that add some flare to the song, so make sure to listen closely as it may not be quite the primal attack that may be shown externally. A really interesting piece.
7 The City Of Jorsala Shall Fall brings us into battle once more with awesome built in attack that culminates in a crawling piece of Melodic Death Metal perfection. The riffs are gorgeously well written, the drums perfectly complementing them and finally the vocal attack is so precise and aggressive on this song. For me this is the ideal sound for Unleashed, it really throws me back to their earlier stuff while at the same time being entirely new and original. The dissonance of the chorus riff is something I think adds real depth to the piece while still keeping it very melodic and punchy. Awesome work on this one, yet again!
8 The Hunt For White Christ comes in with killer drums, groovy and menacing tremolo riffs and so much force that the oncoming chugged waves all hit with such a tight precision, coupled beautifully with the vocals. The gorgeously put together Death Metal assaults are as stunning and mesmerising as they are crushingly brutal. This furious track is a prime example of why Unleashed are one of the best Melodic Death Metal bands. The intensity and cool feeling of the music is captured down to ever fine detail by the incredibly high end production, the guitar solo was catchy and everything just fell into place really well. An astounding track, really heavy hitting and epic!
9 Vidaurgelmthul fires up with epic musicianship and such force that it really pummels you. The wonderfully intense and catchy rhythm of the song is really fitting with the album, band overall and in itself works beautifully. The more progressive flourishes are really well put together with fantastic execution. Combining melody and sheer aggression is something Unleashed have done well for decades, this track is another great example of that. The band seem much more confident in pushing slightly into new boundaries on pieces like this which I think really pays off and gives the fans something new, while still keeping true to their style. The solo was stunning and perfectly reserved, fitting into the song gloriously. Killer stuff!
10 By The Western Wall immediately soaks us in darkness with a much more ambient feel to it, things build once more with glory. The relentless attack of the song really comes in with total strength, really catching me off my guard. The much more slow burn pace of some sections of this song really accentuate the momentum and make the faster sections feel so much greater. The guitar solo works as a huge and epic flourish over the rhythm sections, once more giving the song tons more depth and range, also it was incredibly well written and played. The ending was a stunning additional and works as a nice interval allowing us to recuperate for the final track.
11 Open To All The World is the finale of this battle. Fierce melodies and huge atmospherics drive this song in and from the off I can tell it will be one epic last track. The absolute aggression, precisely fantastic riffs and killer drum performance have so much strength, working in unison with the amazing production and really allowing the band to create a final piece of truly glorious Death Metal. The song while being catchy is menacingly filled with killer swings, perfect for a good mosh pit. An absolutely wonderful closing song, ending this great album in true style. I stand by my earlier statement of “all killer, no filler” entirely. Great work!

Unleashed are back, with their full fury reinvigorated and plentiful stampeding riffs fit for any Viking raid! A certainly very strong album with a much more crushing sound than ever before! -8/10