Blåådpalt – Sliced to Perfection

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With Slam and Brutal Death Metal having co-evolved with Nu Metal in the 1990s, some bands found themselves being influenced from both of these sides of the Metal scene when they tried to replicate those sounds during the turn of the millennium. From this transitional phase came bands like ROTTING, JUNGLE ROT and SEVERE TORTURE that were heavy like previous Brutal Death Metal acts but had a “dumbed-down” and thuggish sound.

This sound is not very common anymore (in fact, it can be argued that it is taking a new turn with Maggot Stomp), but some bands do go back to this early-2000s style. One band is Finland’s BLÅÅDPALT, and last month they released their debut full-length, “Sliced to Perfection.” While the sound is there, this record does not achieve the same groove and heaviness as the pioneers. In fact, this record can get quite dull.

It’s not like Jungle Rot wrote masterpieces; this sound is hard to do correctly, and Blåådpalt managed to make some nice grooves. However, “Sliced to Perfection” just failed to sound good most of the time. Even the first track was lackluster.

“Corpse” kicked the album off with first impressions out of mind. This record started with vocals, and that was a red flag. A good instrumental buildup to the main section of the song to create a hook is a safe way to go. Some may say it’s heavy to go straight to the jugular right off the bat like that, and that is true in very few regards. But a mediocre Jungle Rot riff with dry growls was not attention-grabbing. It was repelling.

“Corpse” would have served better near the end of the album, since its riffs are good enough to give the back end a little more flavor. If anything, the record should have started with track two, “Eradicated.” This track was one of the strongest on the album, as it had an uncommon tremolo section as well as a decent solo, something else that was rare for this record. Even the main, thuggish riffs were nice to nod one’s head to, and the songwriting was so clean.

“God of Razorblade” and “Firewalker” were the other highlights, which was unfortunate, as they were all at the very beginning of the album. This meant it all went downhill after track four. While this wasn’t necessarily true, there was a rather large gap in the middle of the record that was devoid of anything memorable or interesting.

“Firewalker” was an interesting track due to its heavy breakdown. The breakdown had a heavy atmosphere topped off with an odd rhythm. It was transitioned into very smoothly, but the transition back into the main song was very rough. The breakdown abruptly ended, and the main riffs started back up as if it were a completely different song. This track was a highlight, but it also contained the largest songwriting flaw on the record.

While the best songs all found themselves at the beginning of the record, the album still had a good ending. “The Sculptor” cast the listener off with heavy riffing and atmosphere in a swelling, twisting juxtaposition of atmosphere and brutality. The solo was decent, but the riff underlying it was more notable. The layers on this track were unlike any previous track, and it was the best way to end the record.

If you do end up picking this album up, I recommend listening to the tracks highlighted in this review. Not because the other songs are bad, but because they are a waste of time. They are nothing special, and they have been outdone a thousand times before.

Blåådpalt played it safe with this one. The riffs are simple and not too complicated (but they are still effective) and almost every song had the same structure. It was a fun album, but it was not one that I see myself listening to again.

Songwriting: 7
Musicianship: 6
Memorability: 6
Production: 7