No Sign of Life is the 14th studio album by the Swedish death metal band Unleashed. It was released by the music label Napalm Records on 12 October 2021.
| No Sign of Life | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 12 November 2021 | |||
| Studio | Chrome Studios, Stockholm, Sweden | |||
| Genre | Death metal | |||
| Length | 39:19 | |||
| Label | Napalm Records | |||
| Producer | Fredrik Folkare | |||
| Unleashed chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Coherence | ||||
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Background
editNo Sign of Life was recorded at Chrome Studios in Stockholm, Sweden. It was produced and mixed by Fredrik Folkare. It was mastered by Erik Martensson. Three music videos were released for the album. The videos for "The King Lost His Crown" and "Where Can You Flee?" are lyric videos, while the video for "You Are the Warrior!" is a typical music video.
The album is a concept album based on vocalist/bassist Johnny Hedlund's unpublished novel that takes place in the world of Odalheim. There's a single plot that runs through it, and it's the same one that runs across the band's prior four releases. This isn't just another death metal album; it's the fifth installment of a gigantic, epic Viking mythological saga set after Ragnarok.[1]
The band while speaking about the album said "It is our hope that our warriors all over the world will enjoy the new album just like they have our previous ones. We have, as always, tried to stick to our roots while testing our steel to develop the genre of Viking death metal even further. Hail Odin!" [2]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Distorted Sound | 8/10[1] |
| Rock N' Load | 10/10[3] |
The album was well received by both fans and critics. Joseph Mitchell of Rock 'N' Load said "The album "No Sign Of Life" is unrivaled. Even after 14 full-length albums, the band still has so much to contribute and create. Unleashed has been able to improve their sound since their inception. Unleashed have been able to build albums with longevity and write albums that are crushing and catchy to this day, whilst many bands have made big genre shifts or recycle the same content over and over."[3] Furthermore, Tim Bolitho-Jones of Distorted Sound said "This is old school death metal at its finest, played rapidly, aggressively, and heavily."[1]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The King Lost His Crown" | Johnny Hedlund | Fredrik Folkare | 3:37 |
| 2. | "The Shepherd Has Left the Flock" | Johnny Hedlund | Fredrik Folkare | 4:07 |
| 3. | "Where Can You Flee?" | Johnny Hedlund | Fredrik Folkare, Tomas Masgard | 3:06 |
| 4. | "You Are the Warrior!" | Johnny Hedlund | Fredrik Folkare | 4:26 |
| 5. | "No Sign of Life" | Johnny Hedlund | Fredrik Folkare | 3:26 |
| 6. | "The Highest Ideal" | Johnny Hedlund | Fredrik Folkare | 3:04 |
| 7. | "Midgard Warriors for Life" | Johnny Hedlund | Fredrik Folkare | 3:46 |
| 8. | "Did You Struggle With God?" | Johnny Hedlund | Fredrik Folkare | 2:41 |
| 9. | "Tyr Wields the Sword" | Johnny Hedlund | Fredrik Folkare | 2:37 |
| 10. | "It Is Finished" | Johnny Hedlund | Fredrik Folkare | 3:19 |
| 11. | "Here at the End of the World" | Johnny Hedlund | Fredrik Folkare | 5:04 |
Personnel
editUnleashed
- Johnny Hedlund – vocals, bass
- Fredrik Folkare – lead guitar
- Tomas Masgard - rhythm guitar
- Anders Schultz – drums
Production
- Fredrik Folkare – producer, mixing
- Erik Mårtensson - mastering
Charts
edit| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[5] | 59 |
References
edit- ^ a b c Bolitho-Jones, Tim. "ALBUM REVIEW: No Sign Of Life – Unleashed". Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ "UNLEASHED To Release 'No Sign Of Life' Album In November". Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ a b Mitchell, Joseph. "Rock n' Load - UNLEASHED // NO SIGN OF LIFE // ALBUM REVIEW". Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ "All Music - Unleashed - No Sign of Life Overview". Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Unleashed – No Sign of Life" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 29 December 2021.