Grave — Soulless

intothewellsabyss
Jun 29, 2023
3 min read

𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐏𝐓𝐒 - 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 & 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋…

29 years ago this month, the "Scars" of the "Soulless" "Judas" were "Turning Black".

After its initial release in Europe on June 1st in 1994, Grave apparently released their third full-length studio album, “Soulless” in the US on June 28th, via Century Media Records.

Although I cannot confirm this release date, I am going to roll with it, since it's my favorite Grave release and I can't resist the opportunity to write about it!

The album showcases a somewhat different style, with the band adopting a slower and deeper sound. It was also more experimental, adding hints of industrial tones into the Death Metal sound of their previous albums. The song "Turning Black" contains samples taken from the 1987 film Robocop.

The Wells Perspective:

“A cleaner, groovier album for Grave that unfortunately doesn't live up to their former glories”; said one reviewer about “Soulless”! Wait… what? I’m not even sure that they were listening to the same album. Just one listen to the albums title track alone is enough to prove how brutal and hard hitting it truly is.

At this point I shall digress briefly as I dive headlong into this classic slab of Death Metal heaven (or hell, whichever you prefer).

From time to time, I find it difficult to review an album after such a long period since its initial release (in this case, it’s been 28 years). Well, fortunately Grave's “Soulless” is not one of those albums. It still hits as hard for me today, as it did when I first heard it back in 1994!

“Soulless” blends Death Metal with hints of Industrial, and a splash of Groove, which sets it apart from pretty much every other Death Metal album I've heard. Perhaps this can be attributed to Jörgen Sandström who later went on to front the Industrial Death Metal group The Project Hate MCMXCIX, or perhaps it's something else entirely. Either way, it works, and that is all that matters.

At its core, “Soulless” is nothing short of a perfect Death Metal album. The guitars still have that raw intensity that Grave are known for, and the low bottomed out bass lines hit harder than Mjölnir, hammer of the mighty Norse god Thor. The sheer brutality of Sandström’s Death growls are complementary to the buzzsaw grind of the guitars. Adding vehemently to the fervent energy is Jensa Paulsson, who’s “in the pocket”, but hard hitting percussive stylings add severity to each song.

Sandström’s vocals aren’t quite as guttural as on Grave’s previous releases, but they are still brutal nonetheless. The words are more clearly pronounced, and often times we find him moving into the domain of Black Metal. The tempo of the drums are by and large, fast-paced for much of the album, with double bass at hand on every track, but with much more discipline and authority than their previous outings. In what could be nothing short of a natural progression, with “Soulless” Grave appear (once again) to be refining (or redefining) their sound. For the lot, “Soulless” is chock-full of nasty groove.

To say that I love “Soulless” in all of its blasphemous glory would be the understatement of the century. In conclusion of my opening statement; not only does “Soulless” live up to the bands former glories, it surpasses many releases by the bands contemporaries of that era. Enough said!

Standout tracks for me are “Turning Black” "Soulless," Bullets are Mine”, "Genocide," and "Scars."

Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:

Click this link to listen to “Soulless” via Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/soulless/1056436580

Click this link to watch the official music video for the title track, “Soulless” via YouTube: https://youtu.be/_nzVxcC07lk

Click this link to follow Grave on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GraveOfficial

Click this link to follow Grave on Instagram: https://instagram.com/graveofficial?igshid=NmZiMzY2Mjc=

Note: Any reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells

Grave — Soulless

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