Almost a decade has passed since
the Forsaken released their third album,
Traces of the Past, and then seemingly threw in the towel: probably fed up with the Herculean challenge of standing out amid the countless melodic death metal bands crowding record store shelves at the time. Well, market conditions have certainly changed during their absence -- particularly where fast-vanishing record stores are concerned -- but, wouldn't you know, 2012's
Beyond Redemption proves there was still something left unsaid by these Swedes, after all. Don't get too excited now:
the Forsaken (and doesn't that moniker sound especially suitable in light of the above?) haven't abandoned their old sound and in fact bring almost nothing new to the table with this belated fourth release. If anything, their new material suffers from exactly the same dilemma as efforts past by delivering precisely what you'd expect of an efficient melodic death metal band and nothing less, but also nothing more. Token cuts like "Only Hell Remains," "No Dawn Awaits," and "Blessed with Wrath" inevitably balance regimented brutality with relatively traditional song arrangements and the odd fetching harmony or solo, but the only recurring strong impression felt as songs fly quickly by involves the band's undoubtedly eye-popping musicianship. Perhaps this is why
the Forsaken are at their best when blasting away in unison at the most frantic of tempos, in which case the title track, "Foul Messianic Grace," and "As We Burn" would qualify as clear album highlights, by default. Not nearly "highlights" enough, though, for the band to get their hopes up about reaching a broader audience than they secured the first time around, as their middle-of-the-pack talents truly appear to be -- forgive the bad pun --
Beyond Redemption. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia