Swedish hard rockers produce deliciously dark third album
Listening to this album is something like going out for the evening. You start of with a couple of incredible, anthemic tracks that get you going "Yeah!" and punching the air with excitement. Then somehow throughout the course of it the drink and noise starts to kick in until you reach the end and, something like the morning after, can't remember much beyond the vaguest homogenised blur.
So it is with "Touching the Void". Electric Earth have created a monster of a track in 'Amplification', reminiscent of Chris Cornell at his best. 'Black Butterfly' too is pure killer – riffs to die for like they were plucked out of the ether. The ethereal 'Collision with a Sun' gives Zeppelin a modern twist, although the influences are inescapable.
The thing is, this is a technically good album. But there's a hell of a lot of filler in between the killer. It gapes unmemorably between the three openers and the darkly tempting 'Judge Me' and 'No Sleep'. A lot of it sounds very similar and however good that sound is intially, after fourteen tracks that's a definite weakness. It's also relentless and whilst the energy is incredible (and probably works well for them playing live) it lacks a sonic depth and variation that would complement the introspective lyrics. Closing anthem 'Worries' is epic in every possible way – a definite must-listen for anyone who says modern rock can't match what's gone before, and then some. It stays with you, and at least creates one final glorious lasting memory.
There's a lot to love here – Sabbath and Zeppelin meet the more modern stylings of Stone Temple Pilots and Soundgarden. It's intelligent, anthemic, and ambitious - everything to love in an album and a band. But there's no escaping the fact it could have been edited down into a stellar 9 or 10 track album and some B-sides. Well worth checking out and an excellent return to form for these Swedish hard rockers.