The Melodic Death Metal Gods SOILWORK, have once again graced us with their genius! Their eleventh full length album "Verkligheten" has already become one of my all time favorite releases from them. I have been a huge fan of theirs since "Steelbath Suicide" released in 1998. They also put on one of the best live shows I have ever been to.

The opening track is "Verkligheten" which is an almost two minute intro to the album. You can feel the build up becoming more and more intense with every second that goes by. And then out of nowhere "Arrival" hits you like a ton of bricks. This song is truly epic and filled with immense energy that you can expect from SOILWORK. As usual Bjorn's Vocals are absolutely astonishing. This song is unlike any other song I have heard from them before. The Guitars played by Sylvian and David are just as phenomenal as always, maybe even better! And Bastian on Drums is just a beast! But, the keyboards, the Keys are fucking absolutely beautiful!

"Bleeder Despoiler" comes on and it reminds me of why I fell in love with the band so many years ago. The melodies and the heavy parts are placed together so well. Every song I have ever heard from them is an absolute masterpiece. After twenty years they show no sign of slowing down either. Now let's talk about the song "Full Moon Shoals" this is the song that I heard before I got the album to review and right then I knew it was gonna be fantastic. The chorus is catchy as hell and keeps me coming back for more. The transitions between the melodic parts and the heavy are perfect and the Guitar work on this one is immaculate. This is by far one of the best songs on the album.

"The Nurturing Glance" comes in with a soft riff that leads into a wondrous lead. This song almost has a Southern Rock feel to it in parts. This is one of those songs that I would be blaring while driving down the road during the summer at dusk with all my windows down. It gives me a sense of nostalgia in a way. The solo is fucking incredible especially when it blends right back into the chorus. "When the Universe Spoke" had me playing the air drums like a madman! This song is exactly what I want when I hear the name SOILWORK. Bastian is absolutely crazy on the Drums in this song. I honestly think this is one of the best songs I have heard so far. I really hope you all enjoy it as much as I have.

"Stalfagel" is hard to describe, it has an electronic intro that immediately becomes heavy. This song is unbelievably catchy. Like the chorus has been burned into my head. This will be stuck with me for days to come. It's not an aggressive song at all but it's still heavy and is now one of my all time favorite songs by SOILWORK. I guarantee this is gonna be one of everyone's favorites when they hear it. "The Wolves Are Back In Town" starts off heavy and is for sure a banger. I really don't have words to describe this song other than it's fantastic. It's different than a lot of the work I have heard from them. It is really good though. This is one I will leave to you all to see how you feel about it.

"Witan" is really melodic for the first few seconds and then Bjorn changes that really quick. I love his deep growls especially when they fade into his highs. This one is really damn good. It's like they took their old stuff and mixed it with newer stuff. I really enjoyed it a lot! This is one of those moments that I realize there probably isn't going to be a song I don't like. Almost to the end and not a hint of anything bad at all. "The Ageless Whisper" is another song that gives off the nostalgia feeling. This song is magnificent from start to finish. It will make you bang your head for sure. I hope to hear this song live if they come near me on their next tour.

"Needles and Kin" really goes back to their roots but still has their new sound as well. This song is also very catchy. I don't know if I have ever heard Power Metal style vocals in a SOILWORK song before. That really caught me off guard but I loved it! And then out of nowhere there are the deepest growls I have ever heard from them. I am not sure if they have a guest vocalist in this song or not but this is fucking amazing! I totally got cold chills and my eyes grew wide with excitement. I am going to have to listen to this one a few more times before I can register in my brain that it's the same band.

"You Aquiver" brings us to the end of this masterpiece. Once again this is another song that is going into my all time favorite songs by them. I am completely in awe of this one. The way it seems to slow down without changing tempo and the mixing is perfect. Everything about this song is amazing. I honestly think this is by far one of the best albums they have ever put out. If you do anything positive for yourself in 2019 you will go and purchase this album. I will be listening to this for a very long time to come. I really want to give it more than a perfect score. Good job SOILWORK you have ignited the flame in my cold heart once again.