Immortal Souls – Under the Northern Sky (2001)
This is an amazing album in almost every way. The music is melodic death metal with some seriously intense vocals. The sound is almost a dead-ringer for the secular band In Flames. Killer guitar riffs and tight drumming are the high points here. Each riff is well executed and the overall album production is flawless. For fans of the "gothenburg sound" this will be a welcomed addition to your collections. The downfall here is that there is really nothing new or unique as it has all "been done before" so to speak. The sound is tragically similar to bands like In Flames and Dark Tranquility. The lyrics are deep and Christ-centered at times and depict walking the Christian life although it can be filled with pain. Other times the lyrics are filled with cliché "nordic" phrases and titles like "Winterheart" and "Snowfalls", but then again this band has always claimed to be "winter metal". -– Review by Norm