12th August 2023

Review: “The Rarity Of Reason” by After Earth

What do you do when a few weeks before you’re scheduled to record your debut album both of your guitarists decide to leave your band? Having become accustomed to their fair share of line up turbulence since they started out in 2017, in the case of Swedish Melodic Death Metal band After Earth, you clench your fist, grit your teeth, punch a wall and then go and record it anyway. Vocalist Marcus Rydstedt, drummer Anton Vehkaperä and bassist Olof Öman spent two weeks with producer and studio engineer Robert Kukla at Obsidian Recording Studios to create “The Rarity Of Reason“, Vehkaperä playing the majority of the electric guitar parts. Öman played the acoustic guitars and bar solos were outsourced to session musician Christoffer Nilsson. The drums recorded later by Vehkaperä in Nordic Sound Lab, before mixing by Kukla and then mastering by Death Metal studio legend Fredrik Nordström (Nightrage, Obscura, Architects) at Studio Fredman.

If there was any doubt that After Earth could pull off recording their debut album as three piece then that is cast aside by the mid point of opening cut and title track “The Rarity of Reason“. The talents of Vehkaperä with the six string implement of sonic destruction making him a multi instrumentalist in the truest sense of those words and the solo from Nilsson on this one being absolutely sublime. A powerhouse of a statement piece with an elegant synth build and gravelly vocals from Rydstedt, it screams of all that is great in the Gothenburg Sound. The anthemic “Prometheus” then follows suit, an obvious single and the kind of work that takes its heritage from the sound that inspired the 2003 era American Metalcore bands. Staccato riff breaks and powerful percussion make way for a fleeting acoustic moment before blast beasts rise from the black depths and drive things forward once again. The lyrics resonate and there is simply no escaping just how good this is. It has an instant appeal with an air of familiarity that will have you head banging on the first listen. Macabre cinematic orchestration introduces “Through Hidden Space” which finds Vehkaperä in artillery shelling blasting mode, giving the track an air of the Blackened, the non stop riffs making for a barnstorming or should we say barn burning track. A little bit early In Flames, a little bit It Dies Today, a lot After Earth. There is no sugar coated sour power ballad in the centre of this metaphorical chocolate box of delights, instead “Legions” brings a fist pumping attitude that is going to go down a storm live. The solo is immense and fitting given some of the Thrash leaning riffs, the use of the whammy bar giving it a little 80’s Bay Area nostalgia.

An absolute monster, “Human Slave Machine” approaches Death Metal on the night side, armed with razor sharp riffs and the kind of kit work that would make Igor Cavalera proud. There may not be that much that you haven’t heard something similar to before from another band but After Earth do what they do so well that you can’t help but have a good time listening to this. “Undermine My Suffocation” introduces some vibrant and almost Power Metal inspired lead guitar work over the top of the bands trademark chugging violence which gives it a unique freshness and zing, as does the solo, the lyrics lending themselves to a harshly whispered vocal part that is executed perfectly. “Anguish to Dust” gives us more of those leads in a melancholic opening salvo before increasing the intensity for some crushing rhythms. This one has a regal feel to it towards the end and while it doesn’t have some of the power of the earlier cuts, it’s no slouch. The grade finale and longest cut on the record is “I Am What Remains“, which again has a cinematic, orchestrated introduction to give it an ethereal feel before going headlong into blasting and powerful staccato riffs. A flowing cut with some incredible musicianship and an acoustic bridge into a huge solo that is magnificent, there is an argument that says this colossal magnum opus should have been the opening track. On this evidence, the next chapter from After Earth is going to be huge! [7.5/10]

Track Listing