Well, what do we have here? CHAINED hails from Sweden and presents its not that brand fresh album, since "Chained" was released last year, and it now comes as a re-release with the same cover and a different name (it was entitled "Grateful Sinner") from a label that was probably set up by the band for its releases (no site, Myspace page or something). After the above brainstorming, let's get straight to the point...
This quartet was born in 2006 somewhere in Sweden and debuted one year later with a self released demo CD entitled "Shattered Minds". This self titled release is the band's first ever full-length work and I suppose that there are some interesting stuff in here for all groove lovers.

CHAINED is a band that mixes Heavy & the so called Groove Metal with some slight Thrash influences creating something like that sounds like a bastard child from a threesome between PANTERA, METALLICA and MOTORHEAD. I admit the band has done a really good job regarding the riffs in here, since everything sounds catchy as fuck! The rhythm section also adds a huge dose of groove setting the perfect foundation for the guitars. The vocals are pretty good, although they seem like they lack the strength this kind of music needs. Sandstrom actually sounds like a more "metallic" Lemmy. The sound could also be a bit better, since the music may have the "necessary" heaviness, but the album sounds a bit "dull".

Lyrically, the band plays and sings about themes around Christianity, something that is obvious from the song titles. I don't know if people who still wear pentagrams around their necks and believe that Black Metal musicians perform satanic rituals will be annoyed by the lyrics, but I suppose that rational people will even find the lyrics fitting the music. Damn, "you died for me, so I could live" sounds totally Metal!