If there was a perfect soundtrack to heartache, it would definitely be "State In Denial" by what I consider one of the best things to come out of Sweden since OPETH. DEMOTIONAL, was quite an amazing surprise. Christopher Kristensen's screaming and the beautiful, melodic voice of Nils-Petter Nilsson blend perfectly as kind of a tug of war of anger and sadness. DEMOTIONAL definitely picked the perfect name for their band as they do strike an emotional chord with each song. "Five Minutes", track two, is one of my favorites in the album. It is the perfect balance of melody and screaming. Yet the screaming isn't unbearable, which I like because it kind of ruins the emotion you are trying to vent during a song if you cannot even understand what is going on in a song.

I really only wish that they had opened with a different song. "Rush" is by no means a terrible song. It is quite good actually, but maybe a bit too strong of a beginning for me. But that still doesn't take away from the overall value of the album as an emotional experience. They also end the album with "Words Unspoken" which is a very powerful ending. This helps the balance of the quite strong beginning. But, don't worry guys and gals, this cd keeps up the energy it opens and closes with. I found that within the eleven songs on the album, not one fell flat to me! DEMOTIONAL's "State: In Denial" is definitely a must have for my music collection! If DEMOTIONAL only gets better than this debut album, I will be first in line for their next album.