Impaled Nazarene "Absence of War Does Not Mean Peace" CD

Descripción With the Nihil album we could already notice a more polished style and music from Impaled Nazarene because of the new guitarist on that album: Alexi Laiho. He brought with him a lot of the influences from the melodic metal he used to play with Children of Bodom, especially on the lead guitars lines, while the rest was still quite brutal but with signs of change. To the always present brutality by this band, there’s now opposed a more care for the structures.
Absence Of War Does Not Mean Peace continues this way with more thrashy riffs and an eye to the melody. The time of the pure speed and rawness seems quite far now even if the band has never forgotten the roots. “Absence of War” welcomes us after a short intro and we can hear the new, blasting production that gives power and relevance to each instrument. The tempo is generally quite fast but the melody on the riffs is always present to make the whole song quite catchy too. The screams by Mika are always nasty but in some parts they are not like in the past, suffering a bit the steps of time.
“The Lost Art of Goat Sacrificing” displays more of those melodic influences and we can find them on the less direct arpeggios on some parts. The other riffs are more in palm muting style and less on open chords and often they are accompanied by lead lines under. The punk style is always present with the deserved addition of melody on “Prequel to Bleeding (Angels III)” and “Hardboiled and Still Hellbound”. The lead guitar draws really catchy and almost power metal lines sometimes and they are well-stuck in this kind of sound. It’s a totally new thing for Impaled Nazarene but it’s not bad at all…maybe a bit of differentiation was and still is needed to create better pieces but they are quite entertaining.
A special mention should be given to the great drumming on this album because it kicks asses, especially with this clearer production. The bass drum is constantly on speed on these tracks or at least on triplets. The fury of “Humble Fuck of Death” is another fist in the stomach for its fast tempo and the heavier riffs, remembering the old times. “Via Dolorosa” is definitely more hard rock in style and tempo. The riffs are quite good but not that innovative. The melody once again plays an ultra important role here for the catchiness. “Nyrkillä tapettava huora” is completely different because it displays a faster and more brutal approach with almost pure black metal riffs.
“Never Forgive” is the very first mid-paced song and features the keyboards parts over the slow march of the other instruments. The keyboards are utilized just as a base under the other instruments in giving the right, mystic and dark atmosphere. It’s a thing they already did on the previous album and it works quite well. “Satan Wants You Dead” is the fastest and shortest song here, being 20 seconds of blast beats while on the last “The Madness Behind” we can notice a slowness of the tempo in order to point more on the guitars work to add an obscure atmosphere. The riffs are usually quite simple but efficient to this purpose.
Overall, this album will surely divide the new and the old fans of this band. The progression continues and the melodies are now far more important for Impaled Nazarene. It’s a fact and we must accept it. However, the album is quite good even if it’s far from the sheer brutality of the early works but it’s always fast, just with an eye to the melody
Sample:  IMPALED NAZARENE Absence Of War Does Not Mean Peace (full album)