Release Date: 22 August 2007
Song Count: 13
Rating: 7.1/10
Description:
Back to some good-old harsh-sounding metal music, our ventures land us to the last release of the inactive melodic death metal band Dimension Zero from Gothenburg, comprised of several musicians from multiple well-known groups in the Nordic metal scene, including the likes of In Flames, Marduk and Amaranthe - which is simultaneously also the reason the band has never released any music since, as the focus on those acts proved itself to be much stronger than the continuation of a comparatively newer and lesser renowned project. Still, it is an interesting prospect to dive into the sound of what can be described as a - at least, conceptually - notable collaboration between Swedish metal musicians to put together music that blends winds of multiple subgenres together into one storm.
The storm crashes onto the shore albeit with a bit less impact than initially forecasted, as while the aural pallette of He Who Shall Not Bleed is certainly brutal and heavy in almost every sense of the word, it tends to shy from fully treading many lines that set any boundary between it and setting new grounds with their sound, though usage of alternate rhythms, structure and melodicism is at play in some of the tracks which leads them above the rest. Inspirations and awareness of metal styles beyond the confines of death metal are also very noticeable, often noted as elements of thrash and black metal, likely through the many backgrounds and different bands the members behind the music also involve themselves in; these influences are nevertheless kept subtle enough to which they don't take over the general scape of the album at all. It is clear that there was no shortage of ideas or intrigue during the process of making this music by any stretch of the imagination - as evidenced by the inclusion of a literal metal cover of Bee Gees' classic hit "Stayin' Alive" as the penultimate track, though to rather subpar overall quality that makes it feel like the song is being speedran more than anything - the main issue lies simply with the lack of willingness to utilise said ideas to their fullest potential, commit to them wholeheartedly and "use them up" to make the tracks feel more alive on the album of what is ultimately a side-project for most of the Dimension Zero members.
Notable tracks here in terms of quality include "A Paler Shade Of White (A Darker Side Of Black)" as a general all-rounder of a song, "Deny" with its switching rhythmic percussioning and time signatures between 4/4 and 6/8, and the overall smoother sounds and well-crafted song structures of "Way To Shin" and "Hell Is Within", with the latter also taking the additional step to hit hard and amplify the harsh sound in a way that works with the comparatively more unique way it is built as a 3-minute piece.
The relegation of this work and Dimension Zero overall as of lower importance than the main works of the talented names representing the band is ultimately what led to the entire band being largely forgotten about by much of the metal scene and community - a tragic fate, given the amount of potential within the band's tunes that has gone untapped but could have been developed into legendary pieces of melodic death metal music with additional care and motivation. As is, even with plenty to enjoy in this 13-track collection, one cannot help but notice a certain spark or piece of the metaphorical puzzle missing to make He Who Shall Not Bleed anything more than simply another pleasant-sounding melodeath album.