Drowned
A Force of One - 4 song demo

August 1999
Released: n/a, Independent
Rating: 4.0/5
Reviewer: EvilG

Drowned hail from what is home to many a great metal band - Gothenburg, Sweden. Drowned consist of Rune Foss (rhythm/vocals), Toni Korhonen (lead guitar/backing vocals), Marek Dobrowolski (drums/backing vocals) and Jani Pietiä (bass/backing vocals). The band play what they refer to as a combination of 80's thrash with a 90's clean edge. I hear the 80's thrash influence but as for what "90's clean edge" is supposed to be...I dunno. In terms of newer influences I hear a little Fear Factory, Machine Head and The Haunted.



As soon as I hit play on this CD and "A Force of One" kicked in I was thinking of Slayer/The Haunted. Some cool harmonies are happening on the rhythms here that remind me of "The Haunting" by Testament. On "The Quest" the guitar is down-tuned at the beginning sounding like a Machine Head style of riff followed by some way cool staccato picking. Also in this song is the first instance of variation in the vocals. Most songs are in the vein of The Haunted with abrasive vocals but in "The Quest" I hear some influences from the clean vocals parts of Fear Factory and Machine Head stuff. The solo in "The Quest" is also way cool and blistering without being senseless noise. Up next is the Testament inspired (at least on the intro) "Sacred Ground" nice thrash riffing at the beginning of this one! Again in this track it's clear that lead guitarist Toni Korhonen can really play...excellent metal lead without going overboard and over-indulging. The slower paced "Love To Hate" has killer groove. The guitar tone is more noticeable on this one and man what a fine rhythm sound they have happening.



This is a heavy dose of 90's thrash that is destined to make waves. The CD was recorded at the renowned Los Angered Recording studio by guitar guru Andy La Rocque. Although Drowned are currently not on a label, I expect this will change soon.