Album Review: Soulwound - The Suffering
Reviewed by Gareth Pugh
A few words of caution. If you come to this album in the wrong frame of mind, it will punish you. Saying that, if you come prepared, you can still expect a battering. Soulwound have poured blood, sweat and their very being into this record, so much so, they are after yours. You can almost feel that coppery taste of blood in your mouth.
Listening to this 3rd full length offering from Finland's Soulwound is more rewarding, the more you put into it. Round one is opener 'Waste of Life' it almost lulls you in, with a slow heavy drum and guitar intro, peppered with a melodic finger tap, then at the 45 second mark the gloves are off and you’re in for the fight of your life. A redneck droll introduces round two, 'Ritual Cleansing' pulls you this way and that, stretching sinews and tearing flesh. You can just about catch your breath with 'Pleasures', another melodic intro and an almost spoken vocal over just the bass, but then from nowhere it starts beating you around the head, with slow deliberate blows. And there are moments during 'The Cult of I' when you'll think you're being fed through a meat grinder! Another highlight of brutality includes 'Meat Puppets' which adds a bit of bounce and groove, it's like being beaten with a baseball bat whilst being on a trampoline. Some genuine relief does appear with 'This Hatred', where the band do let up a little on the out and out violence. While 'Death of the Sun' is a fitting way to end the battle, and at the end the band ease you out with a gentle outro.
In all seriousness, this is a rewarding and challenging listen, from a band that have obviously worked extremely hard on this release. They incorporate many styles, from thrash through to old school death metal, but also use more modern and current sounds. The production is first class, as you'd expect, as is the musicianship. If you like your metal just a bit heavier, yet with melodic parts, and thought-provoking lyrics, you'd be well worth giving Soulwound a listen.
