Construcdead - Violadead
Black Lodge
Melodeath
13 songs (47:30)
Release year: 2004
Construcdead, Black Lodge
Reviewed by Jay

Construcdead can be summed up easily and simply as Soilwork 2. I was tempted to call their style of music Soilwork metal. It is no secret who this band idolizes and draws influence from. Their music is a mix of all eras of Soilwork. From the Chainheart raw edge to some of the slick production of Natural Born Chaos, this band knows how they want to sound. The band is no stranger to Soilwork personally either. They have both toured Sweden and Japan together. Some members of the band were also part of Terror 2000 which featured Bjorn “Speed” Strid as well.

The production of this record is excellent and mirrors the production of another band from Sweden quite closely. The guitar sound is eerily reminiscent of the duo of Wichers and Frenning. The requisite wizardry is there and the solos and speed do kill. The lessons of metal have not been lost on these boys even if they are less than creative. Keyboards are present but function in a diminished capacity from Soilwork. They provide an atmosphere but are not featured in leads. “Bricks” highlights a perfect example. This song could be from the Predator’s Portrait sessions and features quite haunting keyboard work. One might also interpret this song as similar to “As We Speak” as well. Then we have the vocals of one Mr. Peter Tuthill. He deviates from Speed Strid about as little as possible. His clean vocals are almost indistinguishable and his harsh growls are slightly different in tone. Honestly, if someone handed me this album, I would guess that it was a collection of Soilwork demos and B-sides.

The album is not without any merit because the music sounds so damn good. “Hate” is a latter day thrash fest with a clean and catchy chorus bounded by verses of rage and aggression. “Cancer” manages to slam at you from several directions including wondrous drumming with mind-boggling cymbal patterns during the verses. “Disbelief” has a riff and guitar tone that reminded me of The Jester Race for some reason. Don’t be fooled, this about the only aspect of this recording that does not mirror another Gothenburg band. The same clean chorus does get repetitive after a while and this motif will have to change if Construcdead decides to release another album in the future. I really believe that they could be so much more powerful if they eliminated a clean chorus from each song. You may be thinking to yourself, why would Soilwork tour with a band that is a virtual facsimile of themselves. Well my only conclusion is that they are good friends. The final track of this album entitled “Bitter End” features Speed and ex-Soilwork drummer Henry Ranta behind the kit. This song is not different from the rest of the album since the Soilwork influence is felt everywhere on this album.

If you’re a Soilwork fan you’ll love this album. There is nothing more I can say.

Killing Songs :
Hate, Cancer, Bricks, Pinhook
Jay quoted 78 / 100
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