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Melodic Death Metal: Ablaze My Sorrow - If Emotions Still Burn (1996)

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—though one might say it strongly reflects the band’s name from the outset. I couldn’t feel any clear emotional high points despite the blazing tempos, and to my ears there are hints of thrash/black metal embedded in the sound.

Thus, If Emotions Still Burn sets emotions ablaze into a burning red only to leave no glowing embers behind—no warmth, no lasting sensation—just ash quickly carried away by the wind. The few moments that resonated with my current tastes were the brief Latin-style acoustic guitar in “The Rain That Falls …”, the spoken words in “My Last Journey”, and the short chant in “My Revenge to Come.”

In short, I’ve grown tired of trying to find even one track here that holds up emotionally in a complete sense. Ultimately the album leaves emptiness in my heart, while Martin’s repetitive screams could serve well as a form of psychological torment. Sigh…

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