The double album is a rare beast. It’s a release that’s usually reserved for live recordings and is seldom seen lurking on the shelves at music megastores.
Back in the day, ground-breaking double albums like Led Zeppelin’s ‘Physical Graffiti’ and Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ were critically and commercially successful. Fast-forward to the present where super-sized albums (particularly metal ones) are typically bloated offerings, complete with filler material and stuff that egotistical band members refused to leave in the rehearsal studio.
In this more is often less world, it comes as a surprise that Soilwork’s new release ‘The Living Infinite’– a 20-track, double CD effort – is stuffed with solid, melodic metal material.
It’s a highly-anticipated, some might say highly ambitious, follow-up to 2010’s ‘The Panic Broadcast’. It’s also the Swedish band’s first release since guitarist Peter Wichers’ departure (for the second time).
That said, ‘The Living Infinite’ doesn’t try to tread new ground.
Soilwork’s occasional live ringer, guitarist David Andersson, was called up from the bench to become an official team player and injects a slightly melancholy mood to the riffs. Apart from that, his addition goes mostly unnoticed; ensuring a smooth transition between six-stringers.
Vocalist, Speed, does his usual “angry verse, clean chorus” thing with few surprises.
Dirk Verbeuren’s characteristic drumming is also present here, complete with the occasional flurry of fills at break-neck speed.
Overall, die-hard fans will not be disappointed. Former fans may even find a reason to pay attention again and overlook Soilwork’s hit-and-miss period, which dogged them after 2002’s ‘Natural Born Chaos’.
Catch the band on their Australian tour in early October.
