Richard HolmesThe Resistance – Coup De Grace (earMUSIC)
Genre: Death Metal
Featuring current and former members of In Flames, The Haunted and Grave, The Resistance boasts hardened veterans of the Swedish death metal scene, men who have lived and breathed extreme music for years, and who bear the scars of a thousand shows. You’d therefore expect the band’s second opus to demonstrate their collective pedigree – and thankfully it doesn’t let anyone down.
Throughout Coup De Grace, the combination of brutal death stomp and gnarly hardcore aggro really hits hard: if vocalist Marco Aro’s didn’t burst a few veins in his forehead while recording tracks like World Order, you’d be very surprised.
OK, so this release doesn’t break new ground or give us anything that Entombed, Dismember, The Haunted or indeed Grave, haven’t already cooked up – however, its intensity, its sheer, unadulterated ferocity, make the album near-essential listening. As It All Came Down, the record’s triumphant closer, could be one of the finest DM songs you’ll hear this year – its chorus is huge and the track may just turn into the band’s main live anthem.
Thirteen songs is perhaps pushing it for an album in this rather narrow style, but you just know that gallons of blood, sweat and spit have gone into making Coup De Grace, and will feel punch drunk after its frenzied attack. In a good way, of course…
RUSHONROCK RATED: 7.5 Guerrilla Warfare