### Soilwork: Stabbing the drama

#### 11/01/13 || BamaHammer

I’ve never been a huge fan of Soilwork’s early stuff. Don’t get me wrong. Their brand of melodic death metal (and probably all melodic death metal, but that’s another story for another time) was always kind of like a fast food burger. It was easy enough to enjoy and very easy to get a hold of, but ultimately, it was just never as satisfying as some other options out there.

In 2005 with “Stabbing the drama”, however, Soilwork reinvented and re-energized themselves (at least with me) and transformed themselves into a band that could proudly boast their melodic death metal roots as well as possess an element of catchiness that seemed to make the band appeal to almost anyone with a taste for heavy music. Despite a slew of less than stellar reviews and opinions from all over teh internets, STD (tee hee), while not an album I’d consider to be start-to-finish badass or anything, was an album that definitely featured a few tracks that felt like utterly sublime hits from the get-go and still maintain some sense of longevity today.

The main reason for this album’s appeal is probably centered around Speed’s vocals. Say what you will, but the guy can fucken do what he does extremely well. Whether it’s growling metalcore-esque grunts, screaming melodic death screeches, or belting out clean choruses, he just sounds absolutely fantastic and just begs for you to sing along with him at every opportunity. Whether it’s the title track, “Weapon of Vanity”, or “The Crestfallen”, or whatever, every track features some vocal hook that’s just impossible to ignore, and it makes those tracks feel like metal’s answer to pop radio hits.

Another area where this album truly excels is in the groove department, and that’s all Dirk Verbeuren’s fault. This whole album is essentially a clinic in melodic death metal drumming from start to finish. Dirk can play with speed or even in a slower, more plodding fashion while never faltering in terms of precision or groove. When tracks need that infectious groove, Dirk does it. When a moment in a song needs a tasty fill, Dirk does it. In all honesty, it’s no wonder why the guy has become one of the most sought-after marquee modern metal drummers out there. He’s clearly worked hard at his craft, and he is without a doubt that fucken good.

As for the rest of everything (including the shitty cover), it’s pretty average at best. It’s funny because as groovy and memorable as the tracks are to me, I can’t really remember any particularly memorable guitar riffs. The guitars are really just there to fill out the sound beneath the killer vocals and the drumming. Every time I hear the guitars, I think to myself, “Yep, they’re melodic death metal guitars” and move on. They sound pretty thick and heavy and do plenty of harmonizing, but there is not much substance to what they’re doing. As shocking as it sounds for such a guitar-driven genre of music, I guess you could say this album is far better than the sum of its parts.

The bottom line is that if you missed this one back in ’05, check it out.

- Information
- Released: 2005
- Label: Nuclear Blast
- Website: www.soilwork.org
- Band
- Björn Strid: vocals
- Ola Frenning: guitars
- Peter Wichers: guitars
- Ola Flink: bass
- Sven Karlsson: keyboards, samples
- Dirk Verbeuren: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Stabbing the Drama
- 02. One With the Flies
- 03. Weapon of Vanity
- 04. The Crestfallen
- 05. Nerve
- 06. Stalemate
- 07. Distance
- 08. Observation Slave
- 09. Fate in Motion
- 10. Blind Eye Halo
- 11. If Possible