Yet another one of those “supergroups” that everyone hoots and hollers about, The Resistance most famously re-united ex-In Flames axemen Jesper Strömblad and Glenn Ljungstrom with The Haunted’s Marco Aro to dive into old school death metal goodness. 2013’s Scars was the first assault, followed by last year’s EP Torture Tactics (seemingly to show that they were alive and kicking), and Coup de Grace is the band’s second full-length, which hits all the marks you’d expect it to.
More old school death metal goodness, but The Resistance doesn’t leave their sound stuck in said era. Coup de Grace is thoroughly chunky with buzzsaw-rich flavor and it allows for a more intense and abrasive tone. Picking up where Scars left off, this is Entombed/Dismember on steroids, with the Strömblad/Ljungstrom team basking in groovy and energetic riffing that has no problem accelerating to top speed (“World Order”) or letting things simmer at the mid-tempo (“Death Blow”) for maximum pulverization. Screamer Marco Aro is in prime form as well, with his pissed-off barks matching the Sunlight sound to a tee. With 13 tracks in about 40 minutes, these are real meat and potatoes type songs, never trying to overdo things with unnecessary complexity. Get in, get out and break as many bones as possible while doing it. It’s truly hard not to crack a sadistic grin when “I Welcome Death” opens up and starts crunching through the speakers.
Those seeking some old school death metal without having to resort to a ‘90s level production should be lining up for Coup de Grace. While Ljungstrom left after the recordings, he was replaced by Dimension Zero alum Daniel Antonsson so the future looks equally bright for The Resistance. A great album to just unwind to after a day of pent-up frustrations.