Rightly considered as one of the “big Four” of Swedish death metal (along with Dismember, Entombed and Grave) Unleashed always seemed a little detached from their peers. Whilst many death metal bands had a technicolour, comedic take on horror, Unleashed sang (and still do) about Viking culture and a pre-Christian world. It all made the band seem more cerebral than their peers…and a touch more frightening. Having recently celebrated their 35th anniversary, Unleashed are still packing a hefty punch and if proof were needed, then look no further than their latest long player, Fire Upon Your Lands, an eleven track affair that finds them retaining their position as prime purveyors of death metal.

Founded in Stockholm in 1989 by bassist/vocalist Johnny Hedlund, Unleashed came to prominence via three well received demo tapes. Their debut album (1991’s Where No Life Dwells) is rightly considered a classic but, truth be told, the band have hardly put a foot wrong over the course of fourteen furious studio albums. Long player number fifteen, Fire Upon Your Lands, finds the band staying true to their original vision and while it’s true they aren’t reinventing the wheel, there’s enough invention to keep old heads happy and is strong enough to attract new admires. And a testament to the band’s continuing veracity, opening track ‘Left For Dead’. It arrives like a greyhound out the gate and immediately lays down a weighty riff that anchors the band firmly in the present. As such, it should really come with some kind of health warning; it’s certainly not made for the weak of constitution and the sudden stop that curtails ‘Left For Dead’ is fairly heart attack inducing.

As I alluded to earlier, Unleashed avoid the usual lyrical tropes that characterise your average death metal release, but that doesn’t make them any less powerful. In fact, these songs about war, pestilence and Norse folklore make the perfect subject matter for songs such as the groove-laden ‘War Comes Again’. If heavy music demands heavy lyricism, then they don’t come much more weighty than ‘Loyal To The End’, a song of Wagnerian sonics and Nietzschean lyrics, the two combining to create the sense of something so huge and immovable, it can barely be comprehended. With this incarnation of the band being together since 1995, Unleashed form a tight unit and this only adds to their sense of power, giving songs such as ‘Midjardarhaf’ a steamroller effect (i.e., crushing all in its path).

Unleashed have managed to remain vibrant over the past 36 years and Fire Upon Your Lands comes certified fresh.

• Fire Upon Your Lands is unleashed via Napalm Records on 15th August 2025.
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Track List:

1. Left For Dead
2. A Toast To The Fallen
3. The Road To Haifa Pier
4. War Comes Again
5. Fire Upon Your Lands
6. Loyal To The End
7. Midjardarhaf
8. Hail The Varangians!
9. To My Only Son
10. Hold Your Hammers High!
11. Unknown Flag