Meadows End-The Sufferwell

I haven't had some good symphonic death metal to review lately, it seems like the genre is going out of style. Meadows End seem determined to fight that though, bringing forth ungodly riffs and inhuman vocals on top of a rich orchestral palate provided by the bands talented keyboardist. Filled with wonderful grooves and a chunky bottom end, the bands new record The Sufferwell not only will smash in your face, it will leave you feeling broken and terrified, a thrall to the latent darkness of the world that surrounds us. In other words, this record gets the job done.

I think a large part of the appeal of The Sufferwell is the way that the band embraces the sheer bombast of their art form. Be it in the epic guitar lines found right off the bat with songs like Kings of Greed, or in the thrilling piano accompaniment that dominates the record, Meadows End take the listener on an adventure. Crashing over the waves on a boat made of steel has never been so fun. Meadows End may not be a power metal or viking metal band, but you often get the same vibe from the music, encouraging you to headbang and bring the mosh across the globe. At the end of the day, The Sufferwell does an incredible job of fusing melody with pure riffs, and this allows Meadows End to stand above their peers.

As I dig deeper into this record, for The Sufferwell is certainly not the kind of thing you 'get' on one listen, I start to get a sense for the enormous passion behind the music. No one has really done anything like Meadows End are doing before. Sure, comparisons can be made to groups like Septicflesh and their ilk, but if you really listen to it, Meadows End take it to a different level. So come over and dig in to the beautiful musical depth of a band who are writing their own rules and discovering their own brave new world, I think you're going to love it!

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https://www.facebook.com/meadowsend