The Great Deceiver "Life Is Wasted on the Living"

As a fan of Trustkill Records' late-90s and early-2000s releases and a former frequenter of the label's website (not to mention a general fan of At the Gates), I'm not sure how I never got around to sampling even one song from The Great Deceiver -- a former Trustkill act and current home of Tomas Lindberg (At the Gates, Disfear). But, having moved to Deathwish Inc. for the release of Life Is Wasted on the Living, the band recently came to me (got to love it), and I'm surprised and impressed by what I hear.

The Great Deceiver might feature a singer who fronted one of melodic, Swedish death metal's more influential bands, but the band is far from another At the Gates. While there's some familiar metal riffs on Life Is Wasted on the Living, it's the focus on mildly crusty, D-beat hardcore and industrial effects and rhythms that gives the record its character. And it's no gimmick; the band has a handle on pummeling, ominous hardcore -- there are plenty of comparisons to Tragedy and From Ashes Rise to be made -- convincing me that they've been connected to this style in some way for a long time. Still, there's a lot of variety to the tempos and guitar parts, so Life Is Wasted on the Living never feels like it's nailed to a certain genre.

Lindberg's hoarse, desperate shouts sound right at home amongst the driving drumming and heavy chord progressions, and the chunky, metallic riffs and hardcore aesthetic. If anything, The Great Deceiver gives him a chance to be someone other than the "guy from At the Gates" -- a little more human, if you will -- and I'm glad to hear him doing something quite different and quite well.

This is good stuff and, despite some initial skepticism, comes highly recommended: The Great Deceiver - A Life Transparent

Grab it from Deathwish Inc.'s online store.