review by: Jez Andrews

Most have made the Slayer comparison by now, I would imagine. Just as they did for The Haunted's last release. But Dew-Scented have not only surpassed The Haunted in sheer weight and intensity, but they've also wiped the floor with the past 10 years of Slayer. In fact, I'll take that a step further. Despite the likes of Reign in Blood, South of Heaven and Show No Mercy being classics that I can still enjoy to this day, I got more listening pleasure out of Inwards than the three of them put together. Go ahead, sue me. This, dear readers, is the
genuine article.

Each song is just brimming with thrashy goodness, with the occasional nod towards the staccato double bass drum chops of Fear Factory. Leffe Jenson's part thrash, part death metal vocals give the whole experience a thrilling edge, and producer Andy Classen has done a cracking job of bringing each and every track to full strength. Every band member is so perfectly represented in the overall sound, without any elements of hardcore that can sometimes be found in the modern thrash scene. Slices of aggression like "Degeneration," "Blueprints of Hate" and "Reprisal" exemplify the finer points of modern metal, and it's simply incredible that after my first listening of the band ("Idolized," from a 1999 Nuclear Blast sampler), I didn't imagine that I would hear anything more of them.

Cutting to the chase, if Inwards doesn't give you the urge to turn up your stereo obscenely high and headbang maniacally, then consult your doctor. There is a sea of shit out there, thick with musical compromise and the trends that have infected metal in recent years. But there is also a lifeboat approaching, with 'Dew-Scented' written in big letters on the side...

review by: Tom Orgad

Dew Scented's latest release is a perfectly performed, well-produced, tastefully arranged thrashy death metal product. Still, I believe it comprises an indicator of a problematic, annoying, disturbing manner prevailing in the Swedish and Swedish-influenced, relatively-commercial death-oriented metal scene (Dew-Scented actually come from Germany), imparting it a rather dull and unnecessary effort.

Dew-Scented consists of a bunch of extremely crafty instrumentalists, churning string-skipping, deathy tumult combined with more thrash-stemmed riffs and at times fast picking and blast beats more typical to brutal death or even Black Metal. The rhythm section is tight and accurate, issuing complex riffs and rhythms in a flawless fashion, the singer easily achieves the required intimidation qualities, and the guitar players prove their high technical level in quite extravagant guitar solos, blending successfully with the accompanying constructed mayhem. All of the aforementioned elements are joined by the meticulously calculated production, allowing a crunchy and powerful sound, aggressive and ominous yet not over-distorted. So far, so good.

The main problem of the album, and of many in the likes of it, is revealed after the first overwhelming impression is a bit calmed, and the main part of the listener's attention is focused on the actual compositional ingredients, inducing the overall musical impression of the album. Then, the horrible yet completely unsurprising truth is discovered: this album is terribly boring. Even though some of the riffs and solos and different instrumental interludes may be allegedly original, not blatantly imitating leading bands of the genre as At the Gates or The Haunted, they express feelings of a ridiculously narrow emotional spectrum, transmitting to the listener, from the very first note, a steady drone of simple, unsophisticated shallowness. And yet, the apparent monotony within the realms of a specific album is not the main falsity here: Some bands have applied emotional monochromatics to a great use, as may be seen in the famed works of Katatonia and Agalloch, just to name a few. The problem is that most of the recent death metal bands, including Dew-Scented, do not make the slightest attempt, nor show any hints of intention towards inserting innovating or renovating elements in their musical essence. These bands keep issuing, year after year, albums with almost exactly the same specific mood, without generating any forward movement within their profound characterizing aspects (there are some superficial, aesthetic changes).

This destructive attitude is a derivative of some metal fans' numb minds. It scorns the dawn of creativity, preferring the easy, convenient choice of stagnantly sticking to an existing given approach despite having run out of messages to convey a long time ago, trusting the faithful metal sheep to support this abominable state by constantly praising the artists (and by purchasing their albums.)

I'm sure Dew Scented and any similar bands do not act the way they do as a result of malignant motives. They just follow the trend dictated by some metal industry activists and certain slices of the metal fan public. Moreover, some of the bands, as Dew-Scented, are very good at what they do, and actually don't deserve any anger turned towards them. Let us just not buy these repetitive releases, but instead settle by enjoying the great old creations of the genre, and hope for new innovative output from the current active artists.