Soulbreach – My Dividing Line
Mascot records – M 7207 2 – 16 March 2007
by John Norby
When in the hell are labels going to put the foot down and stop releasing tenth-rate SSMDM bands? SSMDM, by the way, is a sub-genre of the done-to-death-years-ago genre, Swedish melodic death metal, the feeding grounds of the likes of
Soilwork/ and
In Flames, renowned as stalwarts of the genre and who themselves have struggled to output anything half original in the last few years – more down to the limitations of the genre than the bands involved.
Soulbreach are one of the aforementioned SSMDM bands, offering the same riffing, the same vocal styles – the same everything, in fact – as pretty much every tenth-rate band that has come before them. Don’t take that statement the wrong way, though. If the genre is your thing and you don’t mind sitting through endless hours of musically talented bands doing
exactly the same thing, then you’ll probably love
Soulbreach. If, however, you tend to notice the fact that some bands are as unoriginal as they are talented, it’s not worth checking this out at all. There’s no need to explain what this band sound like. Just lift something like
Reroute To Remain, give it a spin, and then imagine exactly the same music only not as good.
Highpoints of this album? Well, there
is a damn good riff at 02:30 on the track
Skin Deep. Other than that… pretty decent musicians? I dunno. Christ, this album is hard going. Oh yeah, what does SSMDM stand for, you ask? That would be Shitty Swedish melodic death metal. Actually,
Soulbreach are okay at doing that. Always take something positive from the negative, right!? Sheesh!
Official Soulbreach Website
Official Soulbreach Myspace
Official Mascot Records Website
