ABLAZE MY SORROW - Black

July 26, 2016, 7 years ago

(Apostasy)

Mark Gromen

Rating: 7.5

review black death ablaze my sorrow

ABLAZE MY SORROW - Black

In the mid-to-late ‘90s, when nothing metallic was happening on these shores, this exciting Swedish outfit was favorably compared to the classic melodic speed/death metal of contemporaries In Flames. Wasn't long into the new millennium that the Blaze was extinguished, only to now reunite The Plague (1997) line-up for another album. The intervening years have smoothed the once abrasive, death metal component of bands like Amon Amarth. If anything, Ablaze My Sorrow harken back to the earliest days of the sound, at least vocally, while the twin guitars retain both speed and cutting edge precision. 

The title track is literally the first thing that comes screaming (almost distorted/over modulated) out of the speakers. It isn't until later the guitar work has a chance to shine. Pre-release single, the aptly entitled “One Last Sting” has the Dead By April screamer guesting on the chorus, more gruffness to an already brutal delivery. “Tvaenighet” begins with the guitars, then Cookie Monster vocalizations until a short clean vox section. Don't worry, unless you speak Swedish, you won't understand either approach. An abruptly ending “When All Is...” offers a slow respite from the rest of the platter, whereas “Send the Ninth Plague” follow-up jumps back into the tasteful guitar riffs. “Blood Heritage” and “The Storm” get the mix of diverse elements (including, in the former, a spoken Viking voiceover) in the proper proportion, like a junior At the Gates. Shame there isn't more of it.



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