Band:	Soilwork
Album:	Figure Number Five
Style:	Gothenburg metal
Release date:	April 21, 2003
Guest review by:	Justin

01. Rejection Role
02. Overload
03. Figure Number Five
04. Strangler
05. Light The Torch
06. Departure Plan
07. Cranking The Sirens
08. Brickwalker
09. The Mindmaker
10. Distortion Sleep
11. Downfall 24
12. Bursting Out [Japanese bonus]

[Limited Edition Bonus CD: Demo 1997]
01. Bound To Illusions
02. My Need
03. In A Close Encounter
04. Skin After Skin
05. Wake Up Call
06. Steel Bath Suicide

No sooner had most writers praised last years Natural Born Chaos that Soilwork return with their fifth album Figure Number Five. To say the Swedish six piece band have been busy is an understatement! The big noticeable difference this time around is the absence of producer Devin Townsend. Soilwork themselves have opted to produce the albums eleven tracks, and with stunning results.

?Rejection Role? pretty much picks up where Natural Born Chaos ended, but there seems to be deviation in the sound. The keyboards don's play a dominant role, but the guitars are given a big boost in the mix. Strid's vocals also seem to be progressing at either end of the spectrum, with the aggressive passages taking on a whole new level of anger, while his melodic clean style proves he can sing. ?Overload? is another mid paced slab of melodic thrash, but things really take off in the title track ?Figure Number Five? and ?Cranking The Sirens?. The guitars have plenty of the all important crunch factors, while Karlsson's keyboard add a subtle wall of noise to the whole number.
Strid's larger than life howling voice shreds on ?Stangler?, while ?Light The Torch? and ?Departure Plan? really highlights the groups effortless penchant for harmonies and choruses that stick in the mind some time after hearing them. The oddly titled ?Brickwalker? and ?Distortion Sleep? features some excellent lead and rhythm guitar work from both Wichers and Frenning, while speed makes up the better part ?The Mindmaker?. The big closing number ?Downfall 24? combines all the characteristic traits that make up the Soilwork sound into one huge riff-fest.

Devin Townsend may have helped elevate Soilwork's profile and sound on their previous effort, but you can's take away the fact the Figure Number Five is solely all Soilwork's own creation. If you thought the last effort was worthy of high praise, then expect to be blown away by this album.