18 years in the business, Sparzanza are a fine example of heavy and dark Swedish groove metal. Still going strong, the band recently released “Circle”, the band’s seventh full length recording and in their home country, it entered the charts at #2 which is quite a feat given the quality of bands from Sweden who are kicking albums out this year. “A circle is not something that has one specific meaning – it has several, so let the interpretation of this be in the eye of the beholder.” With those words from the presser… Let us see what is inside this circle.
Opening with the CD exclusive track “Bradycardia”, it starts with an ominous vibe. A haunting melody chimes out before pounding drums and distorted chords kick in at regular intervals, all building up to something big. The track picks up with some string samples over the distorted guitars and eventually it drones out with the sound of a bell tolling before a guitar riff suddenly kicks in. “Pine Barrens” is the first real track of the album and its full of groove. The attitude and bite in the vocals in the verses is great, pulling away from the moody instrumental opening track and in the chorus, there are some big clean singing moments which transition back into the snarling verse style singing when the meaty riffs come back. Round two minutes in, there’s a great riff which slips into the lead section. The lead itself isn’t stand out, but the rhythm section underneath it really kicks it to life. “Underneath My Skin” follows next and it is the first single from the album. Following a similar style as the previous track, it’s got a twisting groove to it in the riffs but in the verses, its more spread out. The singing goes from clean to snarled at the drop of a hat, and in the chorus it pays off with the clean leads backing the singing sections, really highlighting the melody. Overall it’s a solid track and a good way to advertise the album.
“Breathe” follows with another fierce sounding groove driven riff to start it before delving into a bass and drum driven verse to begin with. It’s got a steady pace in the verses and the vocals are great on this one, especially the clean parts of the chorus. The switching from melodic chorus to groove heavy verse is a tried and tested method and the band have the balance spot on in this track. “Into the Unknown” comes next and it starts off at a slow pace with a dark mood to it. The gloomy, slow paced song is a bit of a comedown from the first three tracks, but it’s a nice change, sacrificing the grove for melody. Near the end of the song, there is a nice melodic solo which flows well with the track and helps tie it all together nicely. “The Contract” shifts it back from melody to groove. With a heavy sounding stomp and headbang inducing groove, the vocals are delivered with swagger in them as the song just rolls along. In the chorus it gets a little more melodic with some interesting clean arpeggio’s backing the vocals, but it’s all about the big verse sound in this track. It builds up more towards the end of the track with a faster pace and more urgency to it and the closing section’s lead really emphasises this.
“Enemy of my Enemy” follows on with a more metal edge to it. In the verse it goes more bass driven with short stabbed guitars to add emphasis before the big melodic chorus moment where the vocals come through strong once again. The hard hitting groove really drives the song on and it’s just a shame its only a short track really. “As I go Away” is the stripped down ballad styled track. Opening with just piano and vocals, it’s a really feeling filled song. The vocals are delivered with raw power and they really convey the feeling from the lyrics. The strings added to it in parts make for a nice touch and as the song comes to an end, you really see just how good of a vocalist Fredrik Weileby is. “Black” is a powerful, riff filled monster which follows on from the ballad and it brings back the groove. Building up with a steady beat, the song kicks in with precisely timed riffs which gives a great headbanging feel to it. In the chorus there are some great vocal displays as always and in the break, it shifts from the riffs to a clean section filled with harmonies which carry over into the final part of the song with the lead playing some great melodic lines over the riffs and vocals.
“Death Don’t Spare No Lives” is the penultimate track and it keeps up the metal influenced groove. This one has more bite to it though, coming across as more metalcore sounding. The bass is thick in this one and the rhythm section really pulls this track through as compared to the other tracks, it doesn’t stand out much, even with a frantic breakdown towards the end. Closing the album is “Do What Thou Wilt” and it keeps up the metalcore styled approach in the intro. More groove heavy than the previous track it storms on and whilst the gritty vocal sections aren’t too good, the cleans in the chorus are fantastic. Much like the last track, the rhythm section really carries the load here, but the chorus saves this song, along with the nicely timed solo halfway through it. Fading out with a lone piano, the album comes to a close and the circle is complete.
“Circle” has it all, groove, great vocals, tight riffs and rhythm work. Much like fellow countrymen Mustasch who put out a release earlier this year, it’s a solid offering with one or two blips, but those blips can be overlooked given the quality of the rest of the album. Step inside the Circle and see for yourself.
(7/10 Fraggle)
Leave a Reply