Band:	Grave
Album:	Soulless
Style:	Death metal
Release date:	1994
Guest review by:	Sonic MrSumo

01. Turning Black
02. Soulless
03. I Need You
04. Bullets Are Mine
05. Bloodshed
06. Judas
07. Unknown
08. And Here I Die
09. Genocide
10. Rain
11. Scars

From time to time, a review of an album so long after its release can mislead readers for many reasons. The musical tastes of the reviewer may have changed, the reviewed album may have morphed or grown into something different over time, or after a very long time, senility may have set in, and the reviewer could attempt to compare the album with a vine-ripened tomato. Well, fortunately none of these apply with this review. To me, Grave's Soulless still sounds exactly the same for me today, as it did when I first heard it back in 1994. And that sound is a good one!

Soulless is a very distinct blend of death metal, and dare I say grunge (of all things), which sets it apart from pretty much every other death metal album I've heard. Perhaps Grave was influenced by the early '90s Seattle grunge movement, or perhaps it's something only I can hear and I've gone mad. Irrespective of the reasoning, it's there, and it rocks.

Don't get me wrong, this album is still death metal, but it's death metal with a twist. The guitars have an almost raw harshness about them, and they work very well with the distinctive bass lines that have the listener grooving and bopping along for the 45-minute ride. The vocals are a welcome mix of that atypical death growl, with again, this harsh and raspy feel that complements the guitars, and that also helps to set it apart from other contemporary death metal releases. All this supported by very solid (I think that's the best word for it) drumming, which work perfectly and get the job done.

Perhaps lyrically is where it truly fits amongst its death metal buddies. Grave have the protagonist murdering one's parents, defying one's dead girlfriend, and being what is seemingly a close friend of Beelzebub. All quality stuff that you'd want your kids to be singing in the classroom at school <insert sarcastic symbol>.

Talking tempo now, the majority of Soulless is mid-paced, with the occasional quicker number such as "Bullets Are Mine" and others having slower, more grungy sections, such as "Judas" (which is also an instrumental), and "Scars." Standout tracks for me are "Soulless," "Genocide," and "Scars."

I wouldn't say I love Soulless, but I really do like it a lot. It marked and end to that old school death metal flavour Grave had before turning to a more traditional brutal death metal style on subsequent releases. And, while I do enjoy their newer stuff, it's time to bring back the old school I say!

P.S. This review wouldn't be complete without me paying homage to the very cool sample used from "Robocop" upon the album opening.