LIVSNEKAD - KÖTTETS OCH SINNETS BIOGRAFI

REVIEW BY: KALLE

the 2007 ep of 'Livsnekad' - 'Köttets Och Sinnets Biografi'.

two swedish guys (Ulf - Vocals and Andreas - Music and additional vocals) have done three long (10 minutes and more) epic tracks with a very special, strange charme. somekind of slow, heavy lava oozing out OF YOUR speakers (depends a little on the volume), and.....i like it.

honestly i have to say:

when i had my first look at the cd, i thought by myself ''please, not another black metal thing'' !!!
 
 for a better understanding:
 
- i have absolutely nothing against black metal, but here - in germany - we have such a lot of REALLY shitty bands with no ideas, no good songs and no identity, and that's why I'm a little cautious with it.
 
back to 'Livsnekad'... i definitely like their songwriting, sometimes the rythm, or you may call it the drive of the songs remind me of the old (i mean really old) 'Paradise Lost'.
 
pure spinebending heavyness meets filigree guitar structures in a very unique WAY; this music is not only composed and recorded....it's alive.....

doomed soundscapes for a rotten civilization, hopeless, lost in themselves....

yes, i like this ep; it's homogenic, it's deep and heavy - and i love long TRACKS!!! my personal highlight is the third track, named 'En Fägrad Kärlek, En Vissnad Begivenhet' (whatever that means).

this song has IT!! melodic guitars introduce you to a realm of doom and heavyness, drivftin' into a gorgeous part of the track that sounds Like a darker version of the great 'Mono' from japan, ending in an accoustic-guitar sequence - accompanied with these de-humanized, totally sad voice.....

the vocals are purest desperation, this guy, ulf, is really suffering... though i do not understand a single word, (i think, the vocals are swedish) the kind of his performance makes me believe that he knows, what he's singing about.

ulf, don't get me wrong now - your kind of vocaling is not really what i prefer, but i respect your work very much, and i dare to say that you did a good job !!
 
and now - the drums.....i think i hear a drum-machine - and that's fuckin' ok. the programming is absolutely well, it's in the way like a drummer would play, and that's how it has to be. better a good drum-program than an inefficient drummer...i know what I'm talking about, i had my experiences.
 
all in all I'm impressed and surprised in a positive way, Livsnekad (Life denied) SHOWS a lot of great ideas and a wide spectrum of musicality, AND THEIR songs have spirit and personality. the only thing that dulls the euphoria is the sound of the cd. sometimes a little blurred, dull and unclear, but – who the fuck cares?

i want good music in the first, a better sound is secondary.... recalling that this is the first output, this cd is remarkable.

...and ulf, please give us a chance to understand YOU; I'm sure you've interesting tales to tell.

kalle, the fucking german wednesday, january 23rd