Melodeath veterans out of Sweden IMPERIAL DOMAIN are back for their highly anticipated and very well received 3rd album, "The Deluge." Having not released a full length since 2003's sophomore effort "The Ordeal", you can certainly understand the high amount of anticipation ahead of "The Deluge". These guys are OG pioneers of Melodeath, one of the greatest metal sub-genres ever, having released their debut effort "In the Ashes of the Fallen" in 1998. They certainly don't fail to deliver on that kind of hype with "The Deluge".

It is a classic Melodeath album with some of the most gripping and 90's feeling melodies and choruses that will make you forget all about IN FLAMES latest album, which was of course bullshit. For the record I love IN FLAMES and I love Anders so much it makes me want to cry. BUT despite the classic sound of "The Deluge" it still has a modern feel, with fresh songwriting and original ideas, coupled with fantastic production and that modern bassy feel I personally find thrilling. The incredibly performed and emotional harsh vocals from Andreas Öman are mixed perfectly, and everything sounds great. The intricate and emotional guitar work proves to be both technical and prog, while also finding plenty of groove n chunk moments, all sounding modern and fresh. It's truly classic Melodeath that suits 2018, an amazing feat if you ask me. The CLASSIC 90's reminiscent hooks are perfect, they nail them song after song. It really reminds me of "Whoracle" on some songs.

They also find tons of ways to blend in vocal melody and atmosphere in the form of synths and symphonic backing voices, and much of those more melodically charged moments remind me of INSOMNIUM with how emotional and epic they are. Which is of course a massive compliment. They nail the track length and order, coming in at 8 songs for 29 minutes. Opener "True Face of War" kicks things off perfectly. The melody is very reminiscent of INSOMNIUM, it's powerful, epic, and original while remaining classic. Melodeath needs more hooks like this. It also begins with a beautiful piano intro, which was awesome, and provided the same effect as a symphonic intro track without wasting the time.  Immediately following is the heavier and chunkier title track "The Deluge", with brilliant and throttling verses leading into a chorus that is epic, melodic, heavy, and so uniquely IMPERIAL DOMAIN in how it's bringing Melodeath riffs to the table. This is a brilliant track and album favorite (as is the opener "True Face of War").

Tracks three & four "The Future Is Lost" and "Conspiracy" give me much more of those vintage IN FLAMES vibes, which provides an excellent and slightly more upbeat feel leading into the interesting album middle piece in track 5 "Withdrawn From Life". We hear acoustic guitar kick off a soft and gentle melody, but only for a minute before downshifting into a slower and more somber funeral march. It's a change of pace that packs a punch right in the middle of the album, and was the perfect way to keep things moving in a powerful way without going stale. Track 6 "Eternal" picks right back up with a chunky, rhythmic, proggy, and 90's inspired Melodeath classic, that leads into the acoustic interlude in "Evanescent", before we arrive at album closer "Ever Since That Day".

"Ever Since That Day" doesn't fuck around, and pulls out all the stops being a grandiose closer. But this album was perfectly laid out, and they earned the right to do that. I can't emphasize enough how much I love a good song order, and having a proper closer finish off an album this strong is absolutely perfect. "Ever Since That Day" provides that classic Melodeath riffage in the choruses, the chunkier power in the verses, plenty of emotional synth and symphonic voices, and overall everything that makes Melodeath feel like Melodeath.

This album is great from start to finish. IMPERIAL DOMAIN didn't mess around, they knew what they were doing, and they delivered an absolute gem of Melodeath that is refreshingly modern & classic at the same time. Definitely do not miss this one if you are a fan of the genre.