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Ond Bråd Död

Människan Har Fallit EP

Written by: PP on 13/10/2011 19:22:24

I caught a couple of songs of Ond Bråd Död- whose name translates to evil sudden death - at West Coast Riot earlier this year where they were handpicked to play the festival by the prestigious Close-Up Magazine. I thought they were awful. But as it often turns out, first impressions live are never a match for hearing a band on record, and nowhere is this more true than in hardcore. "Människan Har Fallit" is the debut EP by this Swedish bunch, a ferocious four track release that combines hardcore with metal elements.

Lets start with the positives. The instrumental base, though not overtly complicated, is at times brilliant. The guitars are down-tuned and heavy, but they bring in a constant underlying melody line that'll remind you of many a melodic hardcore band today, at least if said bands delivered their expression at breakneck speed like Ond Bråd Död. Especially "En Sista Minut" has a high-energy melodic hardcore main riff to kill for, which makes the song catchy (relative to standard hardcore bands)...and you can never go wrong with a hardcore punk style d-beat with me. Were the band equipped with a talented vocalist, this brand of hardcore would take them far not just in Sweden, but in rest of Europe as well.

Unfortunately, the band's two vocalists are both - and there's no way to put this politely - terrible. The hollow guttural growl is an immediate turn off because it lacks power , and the ear-piercing scream takes more time getting used to than can ever be expected from a music fan in 2011. The experience is much like forcing a friendship with someone you don't particularly like or want to be friends with, and is literally the only thing dragging Ond Bråd Död down in our rating - and it does so in significant quantity. So the summary is simple: great instrumental background for a melodic brand of hardcore, but the vocals ruin the band's chances for success.

Download: En Sista Minut
For the fans of: Ungdomshuset-style hardcore/punk
Listen: Myspace

Release date March 2011
Self-Released