Review: Sodomisery “The Great Demise” [Testimony Records]

We’ve all become pretty familiar with majestic melodeath bands from Sweden over the last two or three decades. The birthplace of In Flames, Arch Enemy and At The Gates remains a hive of guitar-wielding talent and among the latest to embark on their journey is Sodomisery.

Originally created by Harris Sopovic as a studio project, his goal was to fuse together elements of black and death metal to create something noteworthy in keeping with his nation’s legacy but at the same time distinctive in its own right.

Having the support of compatriot musicians from such luminaries as Diabolical and Katatonia ensued that Sodomisery’s digital only debut EP would not pass by unnoticed. In fact the response was such that it galvanised Sopovic into sharpening Sodomisery into something much more permanent and progressive.

With a full line-up subsequently installed, the band set about growing their reputation with a series of live shows (remember them!). The Great Demise is the band’s debut full-length release and as such is a pretty solid stab at things.

Having kicked off the hinges with the rapier opener “Reapers Key,” Sodomisery proceed to lay down some anvil-sized hooks on tracks such as “Sacrifice” and the album’s first single “The Messenger”, the latter showing a nice shift in tempo accentuated by a little prog string sorcery.

The mechanical chugs on the steely “In The Void” come straight out of the Fear Factory textbook. The title track is the longest and displays a slightly more measured tempo which works very well, a thumping percussive battery chomping alongside the snarly vocals from Sopovic. “Until They Burn” pitches things even deeper, the grass-cutting bass generating an even doomier demographic.

Technically on the money, Sodomisery certainly sound capable of carving out an opening for themselves, even among the congested sonic badlands of Scandi melodeath. We’ll watch their progress with interest but don’t wait for album number two when this powerful opening shot merits your attention first.