Enchained - Days Of Slaughtered Souls

Published Dec. 22 2006

*=Staff's pick	Days Of Slaughtered Souls* Tortured Soul* Lost All Control Anger (The Way Of My Hate) The Broken Angels Enter Into Our Selfish Minds*

Genre	Metal	Andreas Söderström	Vocals
Tracks	6	Fredrik Staaf	Guitar
Runningtime	25 Min.	-	Guitar
Label		Hasse Antonsson	Bass
Release	Feb. 2005	Andreas Häggström	Drums
Country	Sweden	-	Keyboard
Similar artists	Pantera

Dimebag Darrell would most likely smile approvingly in his metal-heaven if he heard Sweden's Enchained and their EP Days Of Slaughtered Souls. Both the title track and Tortured Soul contain extremely addictive riffs and passages, which bring back memories from classic Pantera-albums like Vulgar Display Of Power and Far Beyond Driven.

Enchained celebrates ten years as a band this year and should therefore know what they're doing by now. They have made themselves a name in their hometown of Sundsvall as a practiced live-band (over the years they have played together with renowned groups like Mörk Gryning and The Kristet Utseende) that delivers good amounts of energy through their live-shows. This can be heard in the music; the thick production goes for raw power rather than nuances and I can imagine that Fredrik Staaf's guitar playing must be quite a sight when experienced live.

After ten years together it should be time to take the music to the next level; but even though the overall quality is good on Days Of Slaughtered Souls there is no particular track on that stands out and makes me want to phone the record labels. It also becomes apparent that the vocalist Andreas Söderström is the weakest link in the band; while his growls are strong his regular singing is less convincing. An otherwise good track like The Broken Angels is bogged down by the vocals, and Söderström almost sounds bored instead of committed at times.

The overall impression is positive though, especially as the EP closes with the furious track Enter Into Our Selfish Minds. There is one particular riff in the song that is a clear nod towards the Korn-anthem Here To Stay, which makes me draw the conclusion that these guys does not only play well - they also have good taste.

Production	Vocals	Compositions
6	5	6

Summary
6 chalices of 10 - Niklas