Hot off the heels of the crushing No Sign of Life album from 2021 and coming in hotter than a flaming arrow, they are killing the competition (not literally), but the release of anything new from these guys is a special fucking thing.

Fortunately for Unleashed, they haven’t changed their core sound; those guitars are still gritty as a mouthful of sand, and they’re even more massive thanks to the excellent production.

Goddamn, this is a nasty album; it rips open a blood eagle across your ears. The first track,“Left for Dead” sets the pace with breakneck speed and precision. Those guitars shred over Anders Schultz’s blasting drums, and believe me that they are blasting. I haven’t heard this many blast beats on an Unleashed album in a short minute.

“A Toast to the Fallen”, “The Road to Haifa Pier” and “War Comes Again” are all chock full of incredible, flesh-ripping blasts and that scythe-sharp guitar tone and blast beats falling like steel rain. Fire Upon Your Lands is a powerhouse album, and that’s evident even in the fucking album Art, holy shit, that’s going to look good on a t-shirt.

When the title track bursts in with striding blasts right out of the gate, it’s like a revelation. Fire Upon Your Lands is my favorite Unleashed album since 1995’s Victory. I know, right. That’s not to say that I haven’t liked them all since then… are you nuts? “Revenge” has a special place in my heart, so there.

Anyway , enough of my personal shit and back to the task at hand.

“Loyal to the End” kicks off with some killer DNA strand twisted soloing and builds towards massive blasting before it goes to a mid-paced brutalizer; this is one of my favorite tracks on Fire Upon Your Lands, Unleashed are masters of their craft, deftly switching tempos on the march to the songs end.

“Midjardarhaf” goes from mid-paced crusher to a thrashing midsection, while “Hail the Varangians!” has this triumphant chorus that’ll be a huge moment live; the main riff is fucking beautiful and savage at the same time.

The album is wrapped up with the slaying trio “To My Only Son” a father’s lament set to a brutal background; this is followed by the immense brutality of “Hold Your Hammers High!” and that solo, o my fucking God, that outro is heavy. Finally, at the end comes “Unknown Flag” an OSDM beat down with some badass double bass rolls throughout.

When it comes to Swedish Death Metal the list is long, you think of the original bands Nihilist, Entombed, At the Gates (get better soon, Tomas!) You start to get nostalgic for those halcyon days of primitive brutality that blew you away with every riff and blast. This is the real fucking deal, you should get it and play it all day and night. Seriously, what are you waiting for?

Not to be left out were these dudes from Sweden who had a cool thing going on; first they were called Nihilist, then a split up of sorts happened and they became Entombed and Johnny Hedlund formed Unleashed and the rest is music history.

Unleashed released three demos before releasing their debut full-length Where No Life Dwells in 1991 (some of you weren’t even born yet) I’m by no means a gatekeeper, but I love history lessons and I’ll try not to get long-winded for tl/dr sake… With that in mind, this album is a collection of those demos and they are raw as fuck.

As well they should be, raw as fuck. Because right away that Swedish buzzsaw guitar tone is noticeable front and center. “The Dark One” kicks it off, and it’s pure Armageddon. Flashing back to the spirit of the 90s Swedish Death Metal scene and it’s a bludgeoning track.

I realize that reviewing a reissue such as this is like trying to preach to the choir. You know by now that “Ancient Dead,” “Violent Ecstasy” and “The Utterdark Revenge” are classic ragers, timepieces from a bygone era.

The attention that Darkness Shall Rise Productions paid to the album’s production is awesome. “Unleashed” sounds suitably raw while retaining the brutality and that savage production creates a beefy bottom end that gives life to this collection. We do get two versions of “Unleashed” and “The Dark One” as well as the other tracks.

From the press blurb “On this compilation, you can find every song the band recorded before their classic debut album, Where No Life Dwells, from 1991! It includes The Utter Dark (3 songs), Revenge (3 songs), and the complete Bielefeld recording session (7 songs), which contains songs from the And The Laughter Has Died… 7” EP, the Century Media Promo Tape, and songs from the Century Media compilation In The Eyes Of Death.” I wish I still had my copy of that Eyes Of Death compilation. There were so many killer bands featured on that sampler.

A masterful job has been done with this reissue. These three demos are vital to the memory of the band’s humble beginnings. Growing into the Viking Death Metal monster they’ve become.

Also include is a brand new interview with the man himself, Johnny Hedlund, recorded specifically for this reissue.

If you love that 90s Swedish Death Metal scene and want to revisit the early days, then you’re going to want this in your collection. Horns up!

So, I decided to check out the band’s 13th conceptual album (that continues an over aching story from the prior 3 albums- i.e Odalheim had a song called “White Christ”), from late last year, just to see if one of the remaining holdovers from the Swedish death metal explosion of the 90s still had it after all these years , and boy do they!  With the same lineup since 1995, the sound is essentially the same as almost 30 years ago, but the band has smartly modernized the production and such, giving their dusty old Viking death metal romps a nice sheen and shine, like a rusty old sword polished up and sharpened for battle.

The opener “Lead Us Into War”, (the song that lured me back in) gets things going right away, with one of the band’s best songs in years, and an apt, rousing opener, with a killer marching chorus and some nice lead work. The next 10 tracks deliver classic Unleashed with a modern edge. From the fierce “You Will Fall”, one of my favorite songs, “Gram” with a classic headbanging riff in the chorus, moodier, almost middle eastern “Terror Christ”, mid-paced crunch of “By The Western Wall” to closer “Open to All the World”, the albums longest track that has a little of everything in Unleashed’s arsenal. There seems to be a slightly less black metal influence than Odalheim, and more control and leads, but its all undeniably and instantly recognizable as Unleashed and you can’t say that about many bands nowadays (even some of their 90s peers).

Hedlund has the same vocals he had in the early 90s, and all the lyrics are all focused on Vikings and battle etc, missing the odd forays into real world, non-Viking stuff that the band dabbled in a few albums ago. Also, the fact the seminal bands they came up with in the 90s (Entombed, Grave, Dismember) are defunct, dull or split in half,  and these guys have truly stayed the course with only a  misstep or two, is a testament to Hedlund and Unleashed’s staying power.  Consider me fully back on board the longship.

But wait, Johnny and his merry band are not warrior poets, they are loyal housecarls. The grunts of viking metal return with yet another mead swilling anthem dedicated to all of us. This is Johnny raising his spear high ready to cast it forth over the battle, watch for the ravenflight. Drink with Johnny, horns held high, get just drunk enough to follow him in battle, but not too much to be unsteady on your feet, just enough to have that aggressive take on the world mead hall edge. “Battalions lock and load, ready aim fire,” again.

When it comes to death metal I often hear non fans complain they can’t understand the vocals. Well all can grasp “Warriors heed my call” and “He holds his hammer towards the sky, this time we fight.” Fans say it doesn’t matter, that they don’t care about the lyrics, it’s about the music.  To me the lyrics are part of the art so of course they matter, just like the booklet artwork and layout should matter, as should any visual presentation on stage, it is all part of the total package that metal a lifestyle above and beyond a music style.

All this matters here because for me Unleashed is passionate lyrics and adherence to a visual theme. It was album artwork that caught my eye with Where No Life Dwells and lyrics that held me sway, that is what brought me into their music so ever since reading the lyric sheet is part of the ritual of an inaugural listen to a new Unleashed disc. For all the above mentioned bear with me while I romp through the lyrics further, I’ll get to the music momentarily. “Viking death metal, ya, viking death metal.”

OK – all kidding aside, some albums are completely ruined by the lyrics, not this one, or any Unleashed album. The charm is in the delivery and the authenticity, not the lack of poetic diction. I imagine Johnny leading a Blót, horn up high, we drink to Odin, we drink to Thor, hold your head up high, “It is the dawn of truth,” Johnny you have my sword. “He holds his hammer towards the sky, this time we fight.” RAAAAAA.

The lyrics do seem more repetitive than usual but not really, I always just forgive Johnny for it. The music, I always loved the repetitive rhythmic style of the early days, and we still get many glimpses here, but now I equally like the repetitive melodic style since their rebirth. The sound quality is top notch, the guitars way out in front leading the charge with the impression of virtuosity, nice loud bass and the drumming shows through nice and forcefully. As has become the case of late, many riffs stick in your head and the melodic lines show more and more inspiration. I think Fredrik and Tomas have been listening in to the messages passed by Ratatoskr. They are becoming masters of the ancient art.

This has been one of the most enjoyable releases of the year so far. I’ve got plenty of mead in the pantry, next time you tour in my area I’ll fill your horns, Hail Unleashed! (repeat ten times)

Unleashed is a prominent bass, straightforward song structure, technically proficient at unencumbered music, and one of the few bands that I can identify every song they have ever written within the first minute of listening. At heart they are a garage band that owes more to Motorhead than Mussorgsky. Three stellar albums, followed by three mediocre albums, followed by three excellent ones by the truly reborn Unleashed. Rather than rehash past glories the band remade their style and emerged from stagnant burial reenergized. They looked back on the glory days for inspiration not imitation. They stayed on a bit too long before calling it a day and came back a bit too early, but Unleashed has definitely had a resurgence to match their early years. 2004-2008 is definitely the equal of 1991-1993. “The hour of truth is near so we rise to the challenge.” That they did, and any naysayers that claimed they were washed up and never should have made a comeback better curl up under your bed and hide like frightened children for the Hammer Battalion hordes are forming around the world and we are coming for you.

Several songs harkens back to slower heavier beginnings, a few sound like Midvinterblot session recordings. All are keepers, though no real standout track like last time, thou I’ll pick the linked songs “Black Horizon/ Carved in Stone” as my top two songs. The two work great as one and should have been one track. Great lead guitars really build and build to a climax, then, abruptly, it is done. “Hammer Battalion” chugs along with Bay Area Thrash elements coupled with slow melodic lines. “Your Children Will Burn” has once again nice melodic leads and venomous vocals, just listen to Johnny, “Destruction, hatred, terror, your children will burn.” Also, I just like the sentiment. “Midsummer Solstice” is more ambitious in its solos without noodling. “Home of the Brave” has slow and heavy riffs and cool solos. I could single out several others as noteworthy as well.

Hail to Johnny for perseverance. Until the band replaces the logo with block letters, make mine Unleashed!

Immediately apparent from high octane opener “Blood Of Lies”, is first, the band’s new production (Fredrik Folkare at Chrome Studios) is killer, an second, the label change from long time label Century Media to SPV has re-energized the bands slightly dormant death metal tones. Mostly gone is the frivolous death ‘n’ roll and social serious, real world lyrics. Back are far bloodier, Viking, warriors, fantasy and true death metal themes. The far more vitriolic, almost thrash pace of the new material is evident right away from “Blood of Lies”, “This Is Our World” and the Tolkien themed “We Must Join With Him”, showing Unleashed are indeed back. Then the devastating chug of the title track is sheer, classic Stockholm gold. The fury returns for the short sharp burst of “In Victory or Defeat” and thrashtastic tracks like “Triumph of Genocide” “The Avenger”, “Salvation For Mankind” and “I Have Sworn Allegiance” as well as chunky numbers like “Age of the warrior” as Unleashed release an almost cathartic rampage of old school death metal/thrash with an energy not heard since Across the Open Sea, perhaps even more so.

A couple of tracks like “Psycho Killer”, “The Witch” and “Loyalty And Pride”, seem like holdovers and musically and lyrically harken back to the groovier, less death metal approach of the bands latter catalog but “Valhalla Awaits” closes things out with a glorious, precise, menacing death metal rumble far befitting the Unleashed name.

Based on material alone, Sworn Allegiance is a superbly old school Swedish death metal onslaught that smartly includes Unleashed’s Viking propensities as well as their tongue in cheek, rock ‘n’ roll frivolity that surfaced on Warrior and was so horribly implemented on Hell’s Unleashed. With a shiny new production courtesy of Chrome Studios, that equals anything by Berno or Abyss, Unleashed’s new found vigor is rendered with a tight and razor sharp modern take on their classic sound. But it’s the songs that really show Unleashed’s new found energy. Within the first three songs alone (“Winterland,” “Destruction (of the race of men),” and “Only the Dead”), there are enough killer riffs and classic Unleashed moments to wipe away the taint that was Hell’s Unleashed. However, when “The Longships are Coming” crashes to shore, you remember why you liked Unleashed so much in the first place; simple, effective, memorable riffs, free from technical overload. The chorus alone will get your blood pumping, guaranteed. “Helljoy” is the one of newer themed non-Viking type tracks that arose on the last album, but above its mindless lyrics, remains a stoutly thrashy ride. Even the rudimentary “Insane for Blood” and “I Bring You Death” canter with the classic Shadows in the Deep era pace, despite their Autopsy-lite lyrics. The pure adrenalin thrash assault of “Attack!” is pure throwback, but effective. “CEO” is a slight turn for the worse with the wretched lyrics and some riffs that could have come from the last effort, but luckily the groove of “One Night in Nazareth” makes up for it. “Metalheads” is mildly retarded in scope but undeniably catchy and sure to be a pit favorite.

I won’t bore you by rounding out the albums last few tracks, but rest assured, they all remain of a high quality, even if the Viking flag isn’t flying quite as high (although the surprisingly deep “To Miklagard” gives a impressive historical perspective on Viking exploration), Unleashed’s newly developed social conscience isn’t their forte, but they have shown that can still rock out with the best of them, and have gained some of their lost luster. Sworn Allegiance isn’t the fastest, most brutal or even one of the best albums of 2004, it is however a direly needed vindication for a band that was teetering on the edge of sellout shittiness, and has a little more urgency than fellow Swedish elder statesmen, Grave and their recent Fiendish Regression. I’d like to welcome Johnny Hedlund and Co. back into the halls of respectability, now let’s just remove all records that Hell’s Unleashed ever existed and pretend it never happened, as this is truly Unleashed’s comeback album.

However, with Grave reforming and about to release a “comeback” album of sorts, Unleashed saw fit to beat Grave to the punch and release their own comeback album, their first in over five years. I wish they hadn’t. As much as it pains me to say this, Hell’s Unleashed varies from mind numbingly average to downright terrible. Like a punch-drunk veteran boxer stepping into the ring for one last shot, Unleashed put on an embarrassing showcase that ruins an otherwise superb legacy. And as the hot new young acts put on impressive musical displays that dance rings around a once proud warrior, the embittered old man can simply stumble around aimlessly swinging with wild abandon and maybe connecting once or twice from sheer luck.

Johnny Hedlund and company have been at this for a decade now, but quite simply the genre has advanced and passed them by. Some acts such as Dismember and Bolt Thrower are able to still produce solid material, but to be honest its positive reception is as much to do with admiration for their past work. Unfortunately, Unleashed were never considered great or spectacular in their prime, always in the shadow of their peers, and so their past work, while solid, never achieved the recognition of others of the era; and so leaves you wondering was this album really necessary?

Onto the album: Fourteen short unimaginative squirts of by-the-numbers chunky mainly mid-paced death metal. That in itself normally wouldn’t bother me, but what is so disturbing is the utter predictability, and even more so the suddenly banal lyrics. Gone are the epic Viking hymns to war, hell and the Allfather. Sure there is the odd reference to ages past in “Fly Raven Fly”, “Demoneater” and “Demons Rejoice”, and it’s no surprise that these are the better songs on the album. Especially, when compared to inane attempts a semi-humorous gore lyrics (think Pungent Stench) of “Joy in the Sun”, “Dissection Leftovers”, and “Your Head is Mine”. Add to that attempts at more real world concepts like “Mrs. Minister” and “Triggerman” and Unleashed simply fall flat – the overall outcome comes across like a rushed joke, rather than a serious attempt at a true comeback album.

It’s as if quarterway through the writing process after writing a few good tunes, they just ran out of ideas and said, “Fuck it” let’s have a laugh. This really is a shame ‘cos “Fly Raven Fly” is a solid song that harkens back to Victory and Warrior, and shows what these mighty warriors were capable of. Then, frankly after the utterly cheesy and sorry attempt at sordid love of “Joy in the Sun”, the truth of the matter sets in: crap’s Unleashed. To hear Johnny belt out “Awsoooome!” with his now very mellow death vocals is sheer disappointment. “We’ll Come For You” makes a valiant attempt at redemption with a galloping “Shadows in the Deep” style main riff that pounds along, nice and simple. But much of the other material is so simplistic two riff chugga-chugga style, it makes Massacre look like Nile; drummer Anders couldn’t have even broken a sweat during recording. Ok, “Piece, Piece by Piece” has a little thrash edge to it, but at barely 2 minutes and it’s over too soon, and gives way to yet another boring gore song, “Burnt Alive”.

I hated writing this review, as Unleashed were at one point one of my utter favorite bands, and to see someone responsible for part of Nihilist and indirectly Entombed (Nihilist split and formed Entombed and Unleashed, respectively) make this drivel saddens me. It’s painfully obvious that Century Media got a little too greedy on this one, and I can only hope the upcoming Grave album doesn’t suffer the same results.