Website
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Unsigned / Self-released
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 16.12.2015
Plugging away since 2005, but without a new album in five years, Sweden's Violent Divine returns with their fourth album, Hyperactivity Disorder. Violent Divine is at once both difficult and easy to define.
With their mildly d-tuned guitars, strong riffs, pounding bottom end, and muted vocals, they remind of post-grunge modern hard rock. Additionally, there's a sharpness to their riffs and a sometimes raging swift pace to remind of heavy metal, even a bit of power metal. But what you will catch, more than anything elses, is the combination of the riff barrage and bass with drums slammage. After these things, the songs are not without melody, the vocal harmonies adequate, and there's an abundance of tasty lead guitar solos.
I suppose I had only two difficulties with Violent Divine. First, the character and sound of the guitar parts seemed to run together, sounding the same on every song. Second, and partly because of the first reason nothing, no song, really stood out for me. In other words, I found nothing truly memorable about Hyperactivity Disorder. There was no song here that snapped, made you say, "Now that is a damn fine catchy tune." There was nothing that gave me cause to want to listen to the album again. Also, I wasn't all that inspired by the vocals, not all that understandable. Mostly, I found myself waiting to hear the guitar solo in each song. Generally, Violent Divine and Hyperactivity Disorder simply reminded me of generic, run-of-the-mill, modern heavy, sometimes harsh, hard rock. You know the kind that there's too much of already, especially here in the States. For my part, that reaction is rather pathetic, when you get right down to it.
Generally, Violent Divine and Hyperactivity Disorder simply reminded me of generic, run-of-the-mill, modern heavy, sometimes harsh, hard rock. You know the kind that there's too much of already, especially here in the States.
Formed in 1999 by singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Erik Martensson, Sweden's Eclipse is well into their third decade of making music. In the recent past, their recordings and reputation have ... [ Read More ]