Kev Rowland Soilwork must be consistently one of the finest bands to come out of the melodic death scene, and this 2015 album saw them somehow managing to provide a worthy successor to 2013’s awesome double album release ‘The Living Infinite’. Considering both singer Björn "Speed" Strid and guitarist David Andersson also released an album as part of The Night Flight Orchestra in the same year, that is some achievement. As had been the case since 2004, the band were driven along from the back by Dirk Verbeuren, a drummer who always reminds me of Gene Hoglan in the way he shapes the sound in the way he approaches proceedings. If I were a bassist, I would be terrified of having to stay with him as Dirk shifts so many times in what he is doing. This was to be the last album with Dirk as he toured with Megadeth following this and ended up joining Mustaine and his merry crew as a permanent member, but he left behind him one of his finest performance’s in the Soilwork drumseat.

Strid is, well he’s Strid. He has a truly amazing voice and stage presence, and somehow, he manages to channel that aggression inside the studio as well as playing live – he must be bouncing off the walls when he records. He has really strong baritone and is much more than “just” a death-style singer and rarely gets very gruff and growly but prefers to sing with an edge with his voice although there are ties when he lets his true power shine through. This use of light and shade, combined with music which does the same, which often includes catchy and memorable hooks without ever losing the over the top attack make Soilwork a very special band indeed. It is loud and heavy enough for the metalhead to lose every spot of dandruff and work themselves into a mosh put stupor, yet there is also plenty for those who like to sit back and watch everyone else work themselves into fever pitch.

Soilwork have been one of my favourite bands in the genre for many years, and this album just re-emphasises the point. If you haven’t already come across this, and I am fully aware it has already been out for a number of years, then you owe it to your ears to do so.

UMUR "The Ride Majestic" is the 10th full-length studio album by Swedish metal act Soilwork. The album was released through Nuclear Blast Records in August 2015. It´s the successor to the double album "The Living Infinite" from 2013, although the "Beyond the Infinite (2014)" EP does bridge the gap between the two album releases. The lineup from the last album is intact.

Following up the hugely successful "The Living Infinite (2013)", must have been a daunting task, but with Soilwork you just know that they are up for the job. And "The Ride Majestic" doesn´t disappoint if you enjoyed "The Living Infinite (2013)", as it more or less continues down the same melodic extreme metal path as the predecessor did. Energetic and powerful rhythms, heavy and faster paced guitar riffs, melodic guitar solos and lead themes, atmosphere enhancing keyboards (nice production detail letting the listener hear what the keyboards contribute with in the closing minute of "Enemies In Fidelity"), and Björn "Speed" Strid´s shouting/screaming- and clean vocals in front. Soilwork writes incredibly melodic and hook laden material, that sometimes borders pop accessibility (just take a listen to tracks like "Death In General" or "Enemies In Fidelity" for proof of that), but they balance the sweetness with some relatively hard edged riffs, fast and powerful drumming (even occasional blast beats), and Strid´s harsh vocals. An example of the more hard edged material that is also found on the album is the dark and fast paced "The Phantom", which to my ears is one of the highlights of the album.

The musicianship is on a high level on all posts, and you are not in doubt that these six guys are seasoned musicians. Strid is always worth a mention for his strong voice and passionate delivery, but the whole band are tight playing and performs with conviction and great skill. "The Ride Majestic" is well produced too and features a powerful and clear sounding production, which brings out the best in the music.

Featuring 11 tracks and a full playing time of 49:50 minutes, "The Ride Majestic" is overall a more easily accessible album than "The Living Infinite (2013)". While it´s not my personal opinion, I know some listeners found the double album format a little overlong, and for those listeners "The Ride Majestic" is probably more to their tastes. I can´t say I think there´s been much development in sound since the predecessor, but there are still some of Strid´s clean vocal melodies which catch me a bit off guard, and that slight "surprise" element is still enough to set this album apart from it´s predecessors and to prevent the band´s core style from growing stale. A 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is deserved.