Swedish death metal crew Marionette haven’t been on the scene very long, having only released their debut album last year. In that time though they have created an element of uniqueness in an overly crowded death metal scene. By adding melody to their sound Marionette are able to stand out from the crowd whilst never losing any of the brutality you expect from a death metal band. These lads are still only young so it’s great to see such vision and talent coming out of such a crowded scene at such a young age.

The technical ability displayed here is very admirable and the production shows it all of with such clarity. Tracks like the opener ‘The Swine’ and ‘Unman’ really do show of the melodies and layers in Marionettes sound. The screams are doubled up through quite a lot of the tracks, with a high and a low scream, which gives them an extra depth and sense of brutality. Then under the screams you get a nice synth or strings sound giving the whole sound an extra dynamic.

As far as brutal metal goes, a lot of it can be really inaccessible but due to the inclusion of more lead type riffs, instead of constant chugging and thrashing, and also the keyboards, Marionette have created a sound that makes them more reachable for people who can’t take the full on death or grind of a band like Nasum. The choice of notes and thrash style can at times give a slight power metal tinge. The final track ‘The Truth’ gently leads you out of the brutality and leaves you with a warm feeling that lets you know you enjoyed listening all the way through and will do it again.