SELF DECEPTION - 'ONE OF US' Album Review

May 25
4 min read

Tracklist:

1. ONE OF US

2. TIME'S UP

3. WAKE UP

4. DON'T B E L O N G

5. DEATH OF ME

6. BREAK!

7. THE WEDDING

8. KETAMINE COWBOY

9. BLAME

10. ENTERTAINED

11. GODDAMN ME

Swedish outfit 'SELF DECEPTION' are back with their sixth studio album 'ONE OF US', released 15th of May via Napalm Records, their debut for the label.

'ONE OF US' throws you right in at the deep end, with a pounding riff followed swiftly by roaring, high octane vocals, echoed particularly in the call of "Do you have the guts? Are you one of us?". This pace is kept up through most of the song, with a slight respite in the bridge. It's a brash introduction that sets up the album extremely well.

'TIME'S UP' takes on a slightly different flavour, fusing dancier elements with their blend of metal in an Electric Callboy-esque manor, whilst still maintaining some solid guitar work and drumming. It keeps that same energy of 'ONE OF US', and it's over just as soon as it begins.

'WAKE UP' maintains that fusion feeling, slowing the pace slightly while introducing a new theatrical element. The vocals show a bit of a softer side up front with a darker undercurrent that is downright infectious, which is also echoed in the instrumentals in the bridge, and there's still a good dose of the heavy side coming in the outro.

'DON'T B E L O N G' slows things down with a more pondering intro, elevating this in the chorus to metal ballad levels. There are some very impressive moments that shine through, like the energetic drum fills and the subtle soloing at the end of the second chorus, bringing things right down before the bridge which builds back up nicely, taking things into an emotional, cathartic conclusion.

'DEATH OF ME' amps the heavy back up with a deep, menacing bassline, the chorus crashing in with the rest of the band like a shot of adrenaline. The second verse takes on a swaggering feel to it that just makes you want to move. All of this with a great range of vocals, from soaring cleans to gritty growls into another dancy breakdown.

'BREAK!' takes proceedings back to the mid 2010s with the riff at the start, building things up before switching the vibe to hardcore after the cries of "Gimme a break", slowing to half time post chorus and then even further in the breakdown. Once again, it's a track that doesn't stick around for a long time, but my god does it take you on a journey.

'THE WEDDING' doesn't leave any recovery time, kicking right back in with an intricate riff, backed by hints of synths towards the ends of the phrases. It's another full on assault of a song, this time with a structure that weirdly brings to mind some Limp Bizkit cuts, despite having a wildly different attitude, especially in the breakdown that then, fittingly gives way to a snippet of a marriage before crashing back into the final chorus.

'KETAMINE COWBOY', once again, keeps that high octane energy, whilst reinjecting that theatrical atmosphere, throwing in brief splashes of ska before heading full throttle in the chorus. This time I'm reminded of the batshit insanity of some Japanese metal bands in the scene today, especially with the brief turns into the realm of video games both past and present, 8-bit sounds and Mick Gordon soundtracks alike, bolstered by some Corey Taylor-esque vocals. This is somehow the busiest track on the record so far, and yet, miraculously, still doesn't feel cluttered.

'BLAME' drops the tempo a touch, but doesn't sacrifice any of the bravado. Its another anthemic, swaggering riff, naturally matched in equal measure in the vocals, and provides us with another classic breakdown that almost feels tame in the context of the wider album, which makes me think that the final two songs are going to hurl something meteoric our way to cap things off.

'ENTERNAINED' maintains that slower pace, and it feels more measured and precise. It still sounds absolutely massive, especially with the referential chants of "Are you not entertained?" in the chorus. But as expected, things don't stay so simple, with a massive switch up to bring in an equally massive riff for the middle 8 before transitioning back to the anthemic chorus. I could see this song easily filling arenas.

Closer 'GODDAMN ME' starts off surprisingly tame, but builds up soon enough with yet more theatricality. Yet again, it has an interesting dichotomy of feeling extremely chaotic, but very precise at the same time, and that is a very fine line that they balance very well. An interesting point of the album to unleash the lyric "Start the goddamn show", but when it precedes a heavy, staccato breakdown I can hardly be one to argue. This is the musical equivalent of puffing your chest out and strutting to the end, and they pull it off exquisitely.

Simply put, this album is pure chaos and insanity contained in 11 tracks, and it. just. works. I've covered albums in the past that try to accomplish this level of havoc and completely miss the mark, so for 'ONE OF US' to remain cohesive is no mean feat, but to reach the heights it manages to? It might just be SELF DECEPTION's opus, and is certainly in contention for my personal favourite album of the year.