Andrew Danso

There’s a deft amount of craft present on Stand Up and Nerve. It toys with the idea of imitating their pioneers straight off the bat, but throughout its length this Swedish death metal mock-up ooze personality, standing rightfully on their own two feet, playing a brand of DM that’s strong enough to paint themselves into their own corner. There’s a colourful mix of their own ideas coupled alongside the old Scandinavian template, which not only gives the album an individual flavour, but displays a youthful ambition, a kind of brazenness, with a self conscious pretense throughout. There’s no afterthought of intelligence throughout its length either. It constantly asks the listener to keep up, as the progressive changes are ever-present, chopping and changing in clear vision, that’s effective and really keeps you hot on your toes.

A not so generic experience even if first impressions wavered; this is brutal enough for angry teens, intelligent enough for the grown ups amongst us.

7/10 Powerplay issue #130