Unleashed – The Hunt For White Christ


Whenever the subject of Vikings and Swedish Death Metal arises, Stockholm’s Unleashed invariably find themselves at the forefront of any debate or conversation along with hairy growlers Amon Amarth. Lazy and unnecessary musical comparisons have constantly plagued both sides over the years, but the two remain quite different beasts. Whereas the beardy bunch from Tumba dove straight into Viking folklore, long-ships and battleaxes right from their inception, the more Black Metal influenced Unleashed took their time, remaining just as comfortable tackling different subjects such as war, evil, politics, the media, murder and social injustice, sometimes even evoking the spirit of Manowar by writing songs simply for the glory of METAL.

Steeped in Norse mythology and tradition, latest album The Hunt For White Christ (Napalm Records) is the fourth consecutive release to venture into Odalheim, the world created by frontman Johnny Hedlund on 2010’s As Yggdrasil Trembles (Nuclear Blast). And what better way to begin than with the bludgeoning masterclass of ‘Lead Us Into War’. Three and a half minutes of instantly catchy, fast and furious Death Metal riffs which manages to cram in war, gods, warriors, Odin and Thor, as well as taking the time to smash your face in with a groove heavier than a Viking warship and a solo which could metal a broadsword at fifty paces.

Jangling open chords accompany the chugging violence of ‘You Will Fall’, and the cast iron riffs on ‘Stand Your Ground’ are so solid you could ride them into battle while the saw-like ‘Gram’ will probably just take your head off. After a brooding intro, ‘Terror Christ’ explodes into five minutes of unbridled mayhem and Scandinavian groove which suits following track ‘They Rape The Land’ perfectly.

One of the standout moments on the record is the monstrous ‘The City of Jorsala Shall Fall’. If ever there was a soundtrack to the decimation of a kingdom, then this is probably it. The masterful title track follows with the force of ‘Vidaurgelmthul’ crushing you under its weight, and ‘By The Western Wall’ and ‘Open to all the World’ close the album in effortlessly punishing style.

Doing exactly what Unleashed have done best for the best part of thirty years, The Hunt For White Christ is another superb slab of Swedish Death Metal from one of the masters of the genre.

8.0/10

GARY ALCOCK