Review of Dimension Zero - Silent Night Fever

Dimension Zero's latest salute to pure metal carnage, Silent Night Fever combines every solidified sound from Sweden that makes your face grimace and insides wretch. The techniques have all been explored by Sweden's greats, In Flames, Soilwork, Carnal Forge and even Arch Enemy. Even though we have heard this brand of melodic death metal several times before, Dimension Zero pull it off stunningly. There is an actual novel sound layered deep within its core. With each song enforcing an extreme cruelty of brilliance. Within each of the speed-ridden tracks lie an incredible crush-blare, compliments of crooked guitar grindage and merciless tempo breaks which in turn result in a complete burst of metal strength. In the past I have been weary of manipulated versions of Swedish death metal and side projects in general. Their sound at times turns stagnant, overused and unoriginal. Such is not the case with Silent Night Fever, the elements mesh through and through. The 31:32 of Dimension Zero's Silent Night Fever fly by with a furious vehemence. Resulting in a welcomed urge to start this one over time and time again. For those new to Dimension Zero, the band consists of some prominent names throughout metal. On guitar we find Jesper Strömblad of In Flames, he also offers his services on all bass tracks throughout S.N.F. Also on guitar is Glenn Ljungström an original guitarist but now ex member of In Flames. Brandishing vocal duties is Jocke Göthberg formerly of Marduk and following up the meatblast backbone is Hans Nilsson of Luciferion, Crystal Age, and Diabolique. The quality of musicianship within this album would leave one to think these guys have been playing together for years, but such is not the case. It's refreshing to come across a Swedish side project that delivers such an amazing performance. The alternative is becoming all too common by way of missing the key elements that keep me craving for more. So cheers to Dimension Zero for creating an album that leaves substance in tact. Bottom Line: While Dimension Zero's sounds are familiar there's a certain constituent that sticks. It blasts by you with an eager relent of crush. It is Swedish by all accounts and leaves you wanting more every time you listen to it. It's an excellent addition to all that claim they are metal.

Well Darkness Abounds, you requested it and here it is. And the first thing I'd like to bring up immediately is the fact that this is one of the finest albums I've heard come out of Sweden to date. The second thing is simple; this album has so many hooks I almost feel like good o'l Uncle Frank up in the attic receiving blissful torture from the almighty Cenobites....you rememberrrrr!!! Not only does this album have the hooks, it also destroys the listener with an onslaught of melodic riffs and overtones along with a strong drum performance, not to mention the extreme vocal delivery one would and should expect from a Swedish melodic death metal act. With In Flames, Dark Tranquility and At The Gates pretty much setting the standard for what planet Earth should expect from melodic death metal of the Swedish style, it's no wonder Dimension Zero was able to achieve such brilliance when two of the members use to play together in the aforementioned In Flames. Dimension Zero combine the mid-90's sound of each of the three bands, but it doesn't stop there. In a time when too many bands are flowing along the same river, this super-group takes the Gothenburg sound to yet another level with refreshingly new and inspiring riffs. Yes you'll be able to pick out similarities in the style of riffage portrayed in just about every song, but something happens here that makes this album stand out from the rest. My interpretation of that "something" is while many newer bands try to imitate the sounds of the originators, those originators come along here and show us everything they've learned since the early years. In other words, during the new millennium many newcomers are playing what they heard back on Jester Race, while Dimension Zero combine all of their musical knowledge into a millennium metal package which blows most of the newer bands out of the water. Plain and simple. If you have grown tired of the Gothenburg sound, this album is sure to revive your faith in that particular scene. The title track opens this crusher and will instantaneously remind you of the old days, but with a heavier production. The songs Your Darkest Hour and Not Even Dead Yet portray some clean guitar tones that blend well with the heaviness surrounding them, and nothing is overdone here which ultimately comes as quite a relief. Every song meshes beautifully with the next leaving me completely satisfied and liking everything this platter has to offer including the final track, Slow Silence, which is a folk-tinged closer containing a clean mood of somberness. Many of you have waited a long, long time for this side-project to regroup and make this record. Well, the time is here and all I can tell you is that the wait will have been worth it. If you've already had the chance to listen to Silent Night Fever before reading this then you know what I mean. If you are a fan that has already planned on getting it, I assure you it is worth your money. To anyone unfamiliar with any of the bands mentioned in this review I strongly suggest you pick up the latest issue of Metal Maniacs and get yourself up to date on what's going on out there in the world of metal.

Release Details

Dimension Zero

Silent Night Fever

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