Band:	Norther
Album:	Death Unlimited
Style:	Extreme power metal
Release date:	March 15, 2004
A review by:	Undercraft

01. Nightfall
02. Deep Inside
03. Death Unlimited
04. Chasm
05. Vain
06. A Fallen Star
07. The Cure
08. Day Of Redemption
09. Beneath
10. Hollow
11. Nothing
12. Going Nowhere
13. Tornado Of Souls [Megadeth cover] [Japanese bonus]

Norther, Finnish Extreme Metal, what can we say about this band? Well, let's go back a little shall we? In their beginnings Norther, along with Kalmah was labeled as a Children Of Bodom clone, nevertheless Norther's debut album, "Dreams Of Endless War" did an everlasting mark on the Metal community and was praised by the media in general, unfortunately they couldn't repeat the level of success with the follower, "Mirror Of Madness", and less than a year later, they come with "Death Unlimited" their third effort so far.

As soon as I got this record the first thing I though was, "what an ugly cover art" , that was not a good sign at all, the artwork is simplistic, boring and plain ugly, but let listen the Cd?
After a few spins of the Cd, one question appeared in my mind, Death Unlimited tops Dreams Of Endless War? The answer, no, isn't better than their debut, but it tops Mirror Of Madness, that's for sure.

Again, like most of Norther albums, keyboards really shine here, the variety of techniques used in the keyboards are just impressive, and the duets between guitar and keyboard solos are really something.
I will point a couple of things here, the album tends to become boring sometimes, and I wasn't satisfied at all with the drumming, just plain simple and dull.

I listen to this album to discover new things hidden within the keyboards and guitar solos, both are great, and both lift the album incredibly, I fear that without those great elements this would be a boring album, but gladly, is not, Death Unlimited is a good album, that's for sure, full of variations, and excellent moments, like the instrumental part in "A Fallen Star" or the gang vocals in the title track, those little moments make this album a good listen, even if you have an over-critic ear like me.

I believe that Norther haven't found their sound yet, but they're close to find it, I'll give those guys one more album until they surprise us again like they did on their debut.
Definitively this album demonstrates huge progress in the band, while is not a masterpiece, sure serves as a good entertainment piece, I can't wait for the next release of Norther.