Fifth Reason - Within Or Without

Year of Release: 2000
Label: Scarlet Records
Catalog Number: SC 028-2
Format: CD
Total Time: 45:18:00

Scarlet Records have made a big coup with the second release of this Swedish outfit Fifth Reason. Their first album titled Psychotic was released in 1997 under Heathendoom Records and I would love to get a hold of the same.

Fifth Reason has a line-up that reads like the "who's who?" of Swedish metal - easier explained by saying it features members or ex-members of Memory Garden, Memento Mori, Hexenhaus, Street Talk, Wuthering Heights, Abstract Algebra and Tad Morose. Now, if this sounds diverse wait till you hear the music. The release-sheet accompanying the promo disc speaks of the music as being: "progressive & technical, heavy & doomy, melodic yet groovy at the same time."

It is fair to say that Within Or Without is a very aggressive release with lots of doomy atmospheres plotted here and there and in a couple of spots you'll be surprised with growly style vocals. At the same time the riffs throughout are very groove driven and show elements of thrash but like everything else on this album, Fifth Reason always manage to carry enough melody and groove along the songs to keep the non-progressive listeners interested. On the technical side the odd time signatures and breaks are kept simple but not without some surprise moves in the least expected places. I am personally not a great fan of thrash metal (and I am not saying that this is thrash) but when you take 3 or 4 different songs and fuse them together using lots of bridges, even the most monotonous music becomes interesting and this is just what Fifth Reason have done. Did I mention the music overall is totally original and modern, which should appeal to many of the younger listeners around.

Production is on par as one would expect from Mike Wead (Mercyful Fate, Candelmass, Memento Mori, Hexenhaus) and the graphics on the cover artwork came from the feather of Travis Smith who is better known for the covers of Nevermore, Solitude Aeturnus, Death and Opeth.

[This review originally appeared November 2002 at the ProgPower Online review site -ed.]
Tracklisting:
Nighttime Wishes (8:14) / Within (5:44) / River Of Lust (3:13) / Day's Undone (5:51) / Whore (5:23) / Only Angels Know (3:59) / Mourning Glory (5:17) / Neverland (7:37)

Musicians:
Kristian Andren - vocals
Simon Johansson - guitars
Marco A. Nicosia - guitar
Marty Marteen - bass
Martin Larsson - drums

Discography:
Psychotic (1997)
With Or Without (2000)

Genre: Progressive-Power Metal

Origin SE

Added: December 18th 2004
Reviewer: Peter Fundeis
Score:
Artist website:
Hits: 2368
Language: english