Review of Dimension Zero - This Is Hell

Dimension Zero (AKA In Flames Junior) releases the follow up to 2002’s excellent Silent Night Fever to a fair amount of hype. The side project of In Flames’Jesper Strömblad; this band seems to be his outlet for his more thrashy side as opposed to the melodic death of his primary group. While Silent Night Fever was speedy, aggressive thrash, completely different from any In Flames we’ve heard, This Is Hell is another story entirely. Often times a side project gets hell for being too similar to the band they are supposed to be taking a break from, and I can easily see this new album garnering that kind of response. Not only are the riffs painfully similar to mid-era In Flames, but they’re copied from the simplest riffs from that era. Take the track “In And Out of Subsistence” for example. Not only does it sound EXACTLY like something off Whoracle, but the chorus sounds just like the song “The Murder Inn” from Dimension Zero’s previous album! If I wanted to hear bullshit like that, I’d pick up Whoracle and listen to it again to remember a time when riffs like these were innovative instead of hackneyed. Even when they’re not ripping themselves off, it seems that they’ve truly run out of ideas, because any other riffs are just a simple combination of 2 or 3 notes repeated over and over to a good beat in a heavy fashion. Luckily I am an In Flames fan, so besides the outrage of the reconstituted bullshit, it really isn’t as bad as I’ve made it out to be. Tracks like “Amygdala”, “Immaculate”, and “Dimension Zero”, while still sort of ripoffs, are in fact fun to listen to because of the energy and flair that only a band with Jesper Strömblad can bring. When it all boils down, it’s still decent melodic death metal. After being massively disappointed with In Flames' weaker path they have chosen, this new album from Dimension Zero might be just what you were looking for. This review has been brought to you by the phrase “Recycled In Flames Riffs” and the number 3, symbolizing Dimension Zero’s third album and also their score for songwriting. Anyone can take successful riffs and merely displace a couple of notes to make it seem original to the moron. There’s two ways of seeing this album. One is to be pissed and dismiss the damn thing outright, as was my first reaction. Or, you could try and enjoy it as a throwback to the Whoracle days, as I do now. It’s not the best album, but to tell you the truth, I can sit down and enjoy it to some extent. This Is Hell is the perfect title for the album, because it can either mean that this will cause you great pain, or you’ll be surrounded by a blaze of glorious, fiery melodic death metal. You decide. Wrathchild

Amygdala - a fun, twisty riff coupled with a nice beat makes a good headbanger Di’I Minores - chorus is great and In Flamesish, in a good way

Release Details

Dimension Zero

This Is Hell

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