AKTIV DÖDSHJÄLP

4:48

CD



Maybe it's because I've been on a bit of nostalgia trip, but Swedish crust act Aktiv Dödshjälp reminds me a lot of brutal mid-90s metalcore, stuff like Fall Silent, Gehenna (US) or maybe Morning Again. The kind of stuff that's definitely more metal than 'core and heavy on the breakdowns. On the other hand, Aktiv Dödshjälp is probably far more rooted in d-beat and death metal. Despite the verse-chorus-breakdown/no-bullshit arrangements, the record "4:48" is chock-full of dark, ominous leads and fierce tremelo picking, sometimes even breaking into melodeath harmony. Lyrically, I don't think I've heard a more pessimistic record in a long while (until I get the new Shining, I guess). Take the name Aktiv Dödshjälp - active euthanasia. And "4:48", the album's title? That's the time most people commit suicide. Today's song "Tysta vittnen" ("Silent witness")? Actually one of lighter tracks in that it only deals with repression and subordination, not a pointless life lived in pain. Heavy stuff all around