Denmark’s Illdisposed have always hovered at the fringes of the mainstream, being signed to Roadrunner for two albums in the mid 00s and subsequently to others, but for whatever reason true fortune eluded them and their ninth album is entitled For Those Who Walk Behind Us as a thank-you to fans who have stuck with them over the years. Formed all the way back in 1991, the band’s past and present members have links to everyone from Exmortem to Volbeat, and there’s clearly been plenty of time to streamline their sound, as this is a tight and well-played piece of modern Metal. Somewhere between In Flames and Disturbed with plenty of groove in their melodic Death Metal sound, Illdisposed’s weak spot is the songwriting, as whilst listened to with half an ear this is pretty catchy, the songs are rather samey even with the band’s skilful application of electronic effects here and there. There’s clearly a reason that they haven’t found widespread success, but to be honest it works in their favour – Illdisposed are far more enjoyable as also-rans than they would have been were they to ‘make it’, and listening to For Those Who Walk Behind Us the fact that this is made purely for fans is hard to forget.

There is plenty to enjoy, assuming people are still reading even after my having described this band as In Flames plus Disturbed. It should be clear by now that those seeking the new Ulcerate should look elsewhere; this isn’t experimental, isn’t progressive at all. It’s enjoyable if you’re not bothered about that, however – For The Record grooving along nicely, for instance, a mid-track drum beatdown proving more addictive than Lily Allen on heroin, whilst Just Come And Get Me rocks the box like earthquake aftershocks – Illdisposed clearly have no greater ambition than providing a bunch of tracks for fans of groovy Death Metal to mosh to, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Vocalist Bo Summers has the nickname ‘Subwoofer’ due to his deep grunts, and his exclamations could be just another instrument over the catchy grooves of the guitars – Seeking Truth – Telling Lies especially enhanced by his gruntings. There are duds, of course, Sale At The Misery Factory being pretty poor with even a sampled motorbike failing to save it. Overall, there are slightly more good tracks than bad, the title song one highlight: working the electronics in perfectly and having a wonderfully catchy keyboard-enhanced bit.

Compare this to the likes of Scar Symmetry, and Illdisposed seem like some third-division losers next to the gleaming dominance of Manchester United. Yet when looked at against big names like In Flames (the big bad Chelsea, of course), there’s an honesty to the Danes that makes their fan-based drive a real point in the plus section rather than a pathetic Anvil-esque appeal to the few devotees that they have left. Of course, their lack of diversity and originality is the Wayne Rooney-shaped hole in Illdisposed’s squad – they score goals due to the catchiness, but you really wish they wouldn’t dive so much in search of listeners. For Those Who Walk Behind Us will, truth be told, only make regular appearances for those who don’t know any better, and those Death Metal fans out there who prefer originality in their bands will call Illdisposed off the playlist before halftime is over. A more or less solid album that fans will love and others will rightfully ignore.