Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Burden Of Grief - Fields Of Salvation - 2005 - Magick Records

TrackListing1. Desaster And Decay 2. Dead Soul Decline 3. The Nightmare Within 4. Engaged With Destiny 5. Fields Of Salvation 6. Slowly Pass Out 7. Yearning For Salvation 8. The Silent Killing 9. Don’t Fear The Creeper 10. Reborn (live)

Fresh off of Tommy Hansen's killer production job on Hatesphere's "The Killing EP" comes his newest work with Germany's Burden Of Grief, this time around offering up a brilliant soundtrack that fits the melodic death metal mood. Everyone and their mother has explored or further pushed the boundaries of this popular metal genre. From the early work of In Flames and Dark Tranquillity to the most recent American offerings with Shadow's Fall and Killswitch Engage, the entire planet has been changed in some form through this innovative and still rather addictive form of metal expression. Burden Of Grief steps up in much the same way, not really doing anything different than the rest, but simply maintaining that "original" thought pattern with their fourth effort "Fields Of Salvation".

This band has been around since the beginning of the genre, however due to label complications have never really been exposed until now. The group's last record, "On Darker Trails", was given a release through Massacre Records. Now the band have a new package, one with Remedy Records in Europe and a domestic contract with Magick Records to see "Fields Of Salvation" sold stateside. Hopefully this much exposure will help the band, in all reality Burden Of Grief being one of the most enjoyable of this entire genre, at times running the same races as modern day Dark Tranquillity and Soilwork, but still allowing plenty of room for their own creative desires.

This whole record is just beaming, with razor sharp riffs and the most sinister use of melody and harmony. Really the whole thing is speed picked throughout, at times flying as fast as an Arch Enemy or The Haunted ("The Silent Killing"), other times slowing down to include that progressive arrangement or two ("Dead Soul Decline", "Engaged With Destiny"). The straight forward melodic machines seem to be the band's best path, with the huge cuts that just blaze by with the most lethal of speed and grace ("Desaster And Decay"). Favorite cut for me is the horror themed "Don't Fear The Creeper", obviously named after the band's favorite horror flick Jeepers Creepers. "Fields Of Salvation" also includes a US bonus cut, imagine that. What an odd idea, but anyhow the red, white, & blue gets treated with a rowdy live cut of "Reborn".


--EC 06.04.05