Gothenburg-metal, but not from Gothenburg
Soilwork has long been included in the infamous Gothenburg metal scene, but as the band itself likes to remind people, the actually hail from Helsingborg.
During the last few years, Soilwork has slid its sound from melodic death metal to a more modern direction, and the hard-edged songs have absorbed influences from metalcore through clean vocals on chorus parts and more easily accessible melodies.
The singer Björn Strid run amok on the stage like a young stallion and led the fans with him to the engrossing world of Figure Number Five and The Bringer, to mention a few examples. Soilwork is still considered one of the top names in the genre, even though the tremendous supply of similar music has whittled away interest in lot of the other bands. The Belgian drummer Dirk Verbeuren’s precise work behind the kit set up a pleasant structure for the compact songs.
Text: Antti Kavonen
Translation: Jari Rytkönen