72 / 100 Ablaze My Sorrow ’s The Plague refines many of the debut’s elements and reaches higher emotional stakes and presents memorable moments. Although Ablaze My Sorrow never rose to the top of the melodic-death mainstream, the band from Falkenberg kept moving forward with the release of their second album The Plague . It was still released through No Fashion Records , the same label that housed other major bands such as Dark Funeral , Marduk , and Insania Stockholm , as well as AMB’s own seniors, Hypocrite . What stands out compared to their debut is the rawer drum sound, the clearer, more structured, and fairly emotional guitar melodies, plus the bass, which is finally given space to be heard on certain tracks, “ Into the Land of Dreams ”, for example. The trademark “argh” scream introduction of Martin Qvist disappears completely, as vocals are now handled by a newcomer, Fredrik Arnesson . He even shows off some striking clean vocals halfway...

56 / 100 A historically aligned but emotionally hollow debut that burns fast and fades faster—skill and fire are present, but depth and staying power are missing. Ablaze My Sorrow  may not be counted among the major melodic death metal bands , even though they were formed in 1993—the same era when the Gothenburg trinity began to take shape in Sweden’s air. Perhaps it’s because they didn’t immediately present anything striking at the time through their first two demos. Only in 1996 did they release their debut album, If Emotions Still Burn , via No Fashion Records . Of the three main Gothenburg bands, I’ve only tried At the Gates ’ debut so far, and what stuck with me was the emotional violin and the opening scream on The Red in the Sky Is Ours / The Season to Come . That particular opening shriek seems to have inspired Martin Qvist ’s vocal approach here. Unfortunately, it’s applied to every single track, which makes it rather exhausting—th...