The Uninvited Guest

Taiwaz

This is the second full-length album from Uppsala, Sweden foursome. They are a modern take […]
By Jean-François ''Jackal'' Poulin
October 31, 2019
Taiwaz - The Uninvited Guest album cover

This is the second full-length album from Uppsala, Sweden foursome. They are a modern take on traditional Heavy Metal with a dash of Doom on the side. This album is the follow-up to ''I Am All'' that was released back in 2014. This band has a storied past. It was founded way back in 1985 and they were active from 1995 to 1991 and was re-activated in 2012. Not much is known about the time gape on both versions of the band. Since the launch of their first album, they have a new drummer by the name of Daniel Aljaderi Roos and you still have the Twin Guitar Duo of the Johanssons.

This is the first album will all new material and it shows unfortunately. I was expecting a bit more from a band with a lot of mileage. Their first album was a mix of the older eighties song and a few new songs that were recorded in this process. It was a mix bag, there was a lack of consistency and when you have to balance out new and old songs, it's never easy to get any rhythm or traction to be honest. This second album is more fluid, a bit more structured. They channel a lot of older Occult Rock / Metal bands like SATAN or even some KING DIAMOND for good measure. It's a slower tempo than the previous album and you definitely have a nice atmosphere throughout but it lacks passion or staying power. The songs are not memorable, they are good, but you sense they are going through the motions. The drummer does a great job establishing the Doom Metal elements and for me, he is the best part of this album. He does a great job but the other band members are forgettable at best.

You have some flashes of brilliance here and there and some rather groovy guitar work on ''Escape'', ''Six Feet Under'' and ''Dark Season'' but the other songs would have been better, more polished with more work put into it. I am not knocking their work ethic at all, I just thought the song lack depth and were a bit redundant by the end. The album may have benefited from being a bit shorter and more structure oriented. It's nothing to write home about. I just really felt bored at the end, I did not want to listen to the album again. I just wanted to start work on another album. It's not bad persay but it lacks imagination and common ground to make it stand out in a overflowing genre.

6 / 10

Had Potential

Songwriting

6

Musicianship

6

Memorability

6

Production

7
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"The Uninvited Guest" Track-listing:

1. Dark Season
2. Six Feet Under
3. Escape
4. Uninvited Guest
5. In the Dead of the Night
6. Why

Taiwaz Lineup:

Ubbe - Bass/Vocals
Daniel - Guitars
Robban - Guitar
Daniel - Drums

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