Band:	Scarpoint
Album:	The Silence We Deserve
Style:	Melodic death metal
Release date:	November 06, 2007
A review by:	Dream Taster

01. XxX (Intro)
02. Disorder
03. Behind the Shadows
04. Terminal Treachery
05. The Silence We Deserve
06. Chronic
07. Imposture
08. Self Greed
09. Oblivion
10. Against my Will

Newcomers from Sweden, the combo known as Scarpoint comes as one of this year's biggest surprises. Influenced by countrymen such as At The Gates and Meshuggah, Scarpoint bred this sound with another dose of aggression a la Lamb of God. Their debut-album, The Silence We Deserve, just got released by rising label Blind Prophecy Records.

Thrash, Death and Nu influences come head to head in the form of 10 songs. Led by Zoran Kukulj's atmospheric guitar sound and Henrik Englund's angry vocals, Scarpoint has achieved a perfect balance of styles on their debut album. Excelling on fast tempos, the band is not afraid to slow down the pace at times. Whenever the tempo slows down, one can appreciate the uncommon guitar sound used by Zoran Kukulj and Alexander Nord. While hard to describe, it has some Dimebag Darrell nuances [ex-Pantera. R.I.P.]. Eric Holmberg's bass lines are hard-pounding all the way through the album and complete the heavy drumming of Erik Thyselius.

The song-writing is surprisingly varied, especially considering that this is Scarpoint's sophomore album. From the head-banging 'Imposture' to the slower, heavy-set title song, these Swedish musicians display quite a range of abilities. Production has taken a chance with emphasizing the groovy aspect of the sound rather than to sharpen the guitar sound, and overall, it was a wise choice.

It would be hard to not reckon that Scarpoint is a band with star potential. The Silence We Deserve is a well-thought debut-album, with great moments and solid musicianship all the way throughout. It will be interesting to follow the Swedish band's path, but they have the potential to be big both on the continental market and worldwide. If you like anything atmospherically brutal, this one's for you. As for me, I'm convinced that we are witnessing the birth of a Meshuggah phenomenon reborn with Scarpoint. Check them out.