### The Forsaken: Traces of the past

#### 28/05/14 || The Duff

The Forsaken had their forums hosted here at Global Domination some eight years ago, and I was called in to review this record; until then, all their records had been covered by ex-staffer eSpudd, receiving very high praise.

On the strength of “Traces of the Past”, I am not surprised, this here is some top-tier Swedodeath metal, like aggro Dew Scented or Carnal Forge, a more technical variety automatically making it infinitely more kickass. Anyone arguing you need measured in this kind of music has not heard this platter of tech death, melody and old school all boosted by amphetamine.

What we have here is razor-wire riffs that are catchy and played with an absolute finesse. The arrangements and the pace is what certainly separates this incarnation of the band from its more modern sound; “Beyond Redemption” was quite the slow-paced affair to say the least, but the tracks were also of an unstimulating, linear affair – the riffs were the only hook, and even then seemed to drag on occasion (don’t worry, you got your well-placed sludgers on here too). What’s more, the production was sickly; here we have the virtuoso performances cutting through a thin, fuzzy production, sharp on the high-notes, buzz-saw on the low.

Attached to the widdles are one or two very memorable chorus or pre-chorus riffs in the style of classic thrash, Entombed or more modern death metal styles; it’s all gravy, complementing the flurries of musical gusto, fast-paced chug riffs, occasional black metal melody, infectious, melodic harmonies, Swedodeath, highly technical solos and mix-n’-mash growls/rasps from Anders Sjöholm.

In short, there is no justice that The Forsaken had to disband for metal’s resurgence, “Traces of the Past” was written in a golden-era of melodic death/thrash, and had the band been granted the recognition it deserved, perhaps it would have evolved into an iconic outfit instead of, like The Crown, a sad rehash of its former, glory-self; this record is on par with “Whoracle/Colony”, “A Predator’s Portrait”, “Damage Done”, and musically perhaps surpasses all three.

- Information
- Released: 2003
- Label: Nuclear Blast
- Website: The Forsaken Facebook
- Band
- Anders Sjöholm: vocals
- Stefan Holm: guitars
- Patrik Persson: guitars
- Stefan Berg: bass
- Nicke Grabowski: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. A Time to Die
- 02. One More Kill
- 03. Acid with Acid – Piece by Piece
- 04. Glitches Will Tell
- 05. Traces of the Past
- 06. Serpent’s Tongue
- 07. God of Demise
- 08. Massive Machinery
- 09. The Empire
- 10. First Weapon of Choice
- 11. Blackened (Metallica cover)