SOILWORK's brand new album Sworn To A Great Divide has been one of the most anticipated releases of 2007 for some people, and I heard many of them saying about their return to the Natural Born Chaos sound. I am sorry to disappoint the ones who have the above opinion, but I think that Sworn To A Great Divide has nothing to do with the band's fourth really good full-length album.

The Swedish metallers need no introduction, since they have become one of the most known and influential bands of the NWOSDM scene. Since their formation, they have released numerous incredible melodic Death Metal albums, and their natural & continuous evolution as a band has made them stay alive in the Metal map. From their really good debut album Steelbath Suicide (1998) up to their previous masterpiece Stabbing The Drama, SOILWORK have managed to keep amazing their fans with their unique modern yet brutal sound.

Interesting fact: Peter Vicious Wichers, the band's previous guitarist, left SOILWORK after Stabbing The Drama was done. His replacement is no other than Ola Frenning, who is actually Peter's... uncle!!!

The band is more mature than ever on every aspect of its music. The progress of the band's vocalist Bjorn Speed Strid is more than amazing, since this guy's vocals are getting better and better in every album. This 'rule' is in effect in Sworn To A Great Divide, too, since the singer has kept his brutality, while adding some more melodic vocals with hi tone sing-along choruses, a trademark of SOILWORK's sound. This time the vocals were recorded in Vancouver, BC, Canada by the one and only Devin Townsend, so the result is exactly what you can expect, incredible!

Regarding the composing 'subject' now, the band continues to set new standards with its unbelievable development. Even though many have accused the band for being commercial and hunting only success, I believe that SOILWORK were never formed in order to create 'true' and 'cult' music. The band was always modern, catchy and relentless. So, SOILWORK follow the same musical path and deliver an album full of modern brutality and catchy melodies that stick into your mind. The 'industrial' feeling is still floating in the air, and every single song has this something that can make your blood pump. The guitar work is the usual SOILWORK thing, which means no poisonous riffs or razor sharp guitars here. What Ola and Daniel will offer is a groovy and technical assault that this times also features some slight Prog elements.

The rhythm section (Flink and Verbeuren) is also one more thing the Swedish metallers can be proud of, since you will come across a solid wall of drum & bass, a wall that is the best base for the rest of the band to unleash its melodic Death Metal assault. Let's not forget that Verbeuren already offered one more cool album this year with the Swiss melodic Death Metal/Industrial metallers SYBREED.

The production is one of the best SOILWORK ever had, and anyone who listens to the album will definitely realize it with its heavy and powerful sound. Surely, that is one more positive thing for Sworn To A Great Divide.

So, SOILWORK's new album cannot be considered as one of their best by any means, since I personally can't compare the band's albums that belong to different eras, but it is a pretty strong and heavy album that will spin in your CD player for a really long time and will never make you get bored. Mr Strid and his partners in crime seem that hey will never run out of inspiration and the only thing that is left for us to do is follow them to this never ending journey through melody and brutality...