Sweden has once again been graced with the presence of another Extreme Metal band.  This band is called BLACKSCAPE, and they are a Melodic Death/Thrash Metal band that's been around since 2018.  Five years later, they now have an album to their name called "Suffocated by the Sun." Before this, BLACKSCAPE unveiled two singles from their debut record: "Bow to Me" and the title track.  Released on July 7th via German record label Massacre Records, "Suffocated by the Sun" has 10 songs and is about 49 minutes, so it's neither terribly long nor a quick one-two punch.  If anything, the album is overall a beastly form of Melodic Death with efficiently infused elements of Thrash Metal.

The first track "Wrath of Humanity" showcases the band's Melodic Death talent, with guitarist/bassist Tage Andersson creating incredible guitar riffs against his muted bass.  Thomas Ohlsson, meanwhile, makes great use of resounding double bass patterns.  While blast beats usage is not used often in this particular form of Death Metal, Ohlsson doesn't use blast beats at all, although I felt it could have made some tracks on the album a little heavier.  The title track/third track of "Suffocated by the Sun" is my favorite track on the album, because it included a very beautiful guitar solo from Tage Andersson, which lasted for a full minute.

At this point, I must mention the vocals of Lawrence Mackrory.  Not surprisingly, they mainly consist of deep growls.  However, on the 6 ½-minute song "Enslaved" -the longest on the album-Mackrory proves that he has amazing delivery in clean vocals.  One popular element of Thrash Metal is the frequent use of guitar solos, and Andersson does not limit his use of them to the title track.  Other songs "First in Line" and "Colonized by the Dark" also include amazing melodic guitar solos.  The final track of the record, the self-titled "The Blackscape," is actually a bonus track from the three-man group.  It is a 5-minute and 45-second instrumental track.  While I did enjoy it, I honestly felt that for a song without any lyrics, it didn't have to be nearly 6 minutes long.

"Suffocated by the Sun" may not be the perfect record-especially since it's the very first by a relatively new band-but it soars in various arenas.  The tracks are well-balanced, and the characteristics of Melodic Death Metal and Thrash Metal don't outweigh one another.  Also, to put it simply, the production and recording quality are top-notch.  If anyone is looking for a new band to give a try, then turn your eye to BLACKSCAPE and their debut album.