THE RESISTANCE is a Death Metal band from Sweden. With a roster of current and former members that reads like some kind of Gothenburg Metal All-Star team, the group bring no shortage of heavy influences to the table on their second full-length release, "Coup De Grace."

Originally formed by former members of IN FLAMES, GRAVE, and THE HAUNTED, you can hear the latter group's sound prominently in THE RESISTANCE's style, built on buzzsaw riffs, gnarly vocals, and a pummeling rhythmic punch, though "Coup De Grace" features a more hardcore-oriented approach. Marco Aro's throaty roars, in addition to Robert Hakemo's cavernous, low-end bass rumble, help anchor a slab of offerings that threaten to explode with their incessant violence.

The strange, twisted sounds of the album's intro give way to the blistering, yet controlled assault that is "I Welcome Death".  It's solid as openers go, and paves the way for the more punk-oriented, high-energy whiplash of "Smallest Creep". "Death Blow" brings some slower pacing and a doomy fatalism that helps separate it from the full-throttle thrashing of its predecessors, while "Resolution" seethes with contentiousness and fury. There's scarcely time to breath as the band fire one salvo after another.

What keeps this album from being "Excellent?" Well, it has nothing to do with a lack of talent, though one gets the feeling that with such an accomplished group of musicians, there would be a little more diversity, a little more awareness of the momentum of the music they've written. The music itself is fine, but the album still feels about four or five songs too long, and the tone is too repetitive; the highs are too similar to the lows. It's great that the band is audibly angry. Great! That's what Metal is all about. However, because of the lack of dynamism across the record, it almost feels like they might as well have just been extra pissed about basically the same thing for thirteen straight tracks. "Coup De Grace" is a solid offering from a band that knows how to deliver quality Death Metal, though it's far from the most innovative. For fans of THE HAUNTED, SKINFATHER, and the like.