by Derric Miller
— Managing Editor —
Just in case you haven’t been paying attention, Tad Morose’s first studio album Leaving the Past Behind came out in 1993. For a band that has never really gotten their due for their mix of victorious German Metal mixed with Swedish Progressive tendencies, the band just keeps on keepin’ on. Proof of that is with their new studio release Chapter X, an amazingly versatile, heavy and accomplished album even the most cynical critic would have a tough time finding a lowlight on … unless they are big fat liars, that is.
The band’s last release, St. Demonius, was a bit underwhelming. Tad Morose on their worst day couldn’t write a bad song, but with such a discography behind them, the bar was set extremely high. With Chapter X, they’ve set the bar higher than it’s ever been, and then some …
Somewhat ironically, perhaps, the album begins with “Apocalypse.” If you remember lead singer Ronny Hemlin from his Steel Attack days, he always had the sheer power to bring the Metal, but he wasn’t always the most controlled technical singer. Basically, his full voice and head resonance wasn’t fully developed, albeit if he wanted to scream, he could always do that with the best of them. Just on “Apocalypse,” you hear him using his lower range, mid-range, head and chest resonance and fluidly sing like a madman or even croon. It’s almost eerie how much of a technician he has become. The band follows suit with a tempo-changing, galloping musicality that is as fun as it is impressive … but that’s always been Tad Morose.
They don’t waste any time landing on what is perhaps the best track on the album, “Come Morpheus.” It’s almost Dio-like in its pageantry, and that’s about as big a compliment you can give a Metal band. The dueling guitar riffs and leads drive the song as Hemlin sings like a true storyteller, once again wielding his impressive range.
“I Am Night” is the first song where they slow things down and let the music become more airy in sections, although, it’s still a heavy song. If you like your type of music something akin to Hammerfall mixed with bloody razor blades, that’d be “I Am Night.”
“I will not rest until the ground is soaked in your blood!” Welcome to “Nemesis,” one of the heaviest and just grueling compositions on Chapter X. The guitars are frantic, Hemlin puts an edge to his voice that makes you feel he is channeling authentic hate, and his scream is somehow gritty, throaty and soaring. Not easy to do, kids …
If you need to find a point of contention on the release, the tempo changes are few and far between. Nearly every song begins with racing guitar riffs, and then Hemlin steps in and brings everything together and makes sense of it all. Of course, as stated, only a big fat liar could find anything critical to honestly say about this release, so of course the album ends with “Yet You Still Preach,” the slowest and most atmospheric composition on Chapter X. If you were waiting for a slab of majestic Metal, it’s all there on track 14.
Somehow, Tad Morose just continues to improve as a band. Some may miss the Urban Breed days before he left to join Bloodbound, but with Hemlin on the mic, they’ve found someone who can vocally match his prowess yet brings different heavier and guttural edges to the music that no other singer in the band’s history can match. Ten albums into their journey, Chapter X is taking a note from their debut release and are vehemently “leaving the past behind.”
Genre: Power/Progressive/Heavy Metal
Band:
Ronny Hemlin – Vocals
Christer Krunt Andersson – Guitars
Kenneth Jonsson – Guitars
Johan Löfgren – Bass
Peter Moren – Drums
Tracklisting:
1. Apocalypse
2. Come Morpheus
3. Deprived of Light
4. I Am Night
5. Leviathan Rise
6. Liar
7. Masquerader
8. Nemesis
9. Salvage My Soul
10. Slaves to the Dying Sun
11. Turn to Dust
12. Vaunt the Cynical
13. Where Stars Align
14. Yet Still You Preach
Label: GMR Music
Online:
www.tadmorose.se
Hardrock Haven rating: 
(8.5 / 10)