Review: Face Down - The Twisted Rule The Wicked (1998)

Two years after the smashing debut album "Mindfield" was released via Roadrunner Records, Swedish post-thrash/death metal act Face Down released its second album in early 1998, entitled "The Twisted Rule The Wicked". Some things had changed during those two years - a few line-up changes, a label change, and probably a whole lot more. We get to understand this as my first expression is that these guys seemed to be really pissed off during this period - at probably pretty much everything and everyone.

While "Mindfield" was rooted in a slower kind of pissed off 90's metal, like bands such as early Machine Head, Pantera, Fear Factory, or fellow swedes B-Thong and Misery Loves Company, this one has certainly geared up a few levels. It's overall more brutal in terms of speed, aggression and riffing, coming closer to the death metal aggression of bands such as Dismember and Entombed rather than Machine Head. The album's production also proves this, as it's an overall rawer and dirtier sound this time around.
 The album was originally recorded with Thomas Skogsberg who did all the legendary Swedish death metal albums in the 90's, but the band's new label Nuclear Blast apparently didn't approve of the final product. The band therefore re-recorded almost the whole album with "Mindfield" producer Daniel Bergstrand instead. There are still three tunes recorded with Skogsberg present here, and you can clearly hear in the industrial "Top Of The World" that it has a sound similar to Dismember's "Death Metal" album, which was released the previous year, whilst the other tracks sound groovier and cleaner.

The album's twelve songs still have the same kind of arrangements and patterns that Face Down presented on their debut, with no guitar solos present apart from in "Cleansweep". Although the album also is different in some ways to "Mindfield", the songs still feel very much like Face Down. The lyrical themes deal with the same kind of subjects as well.

The line-up changes have improved, however, with then new drummer Peter Stjärnvind (who would soon leave to replace Nicke Andersson in Entombed) definitely being a step up. Compared to the band's old drummer Richard Bång, Peter plays in a similar style but with more intensity and aggression, while he also plays very precisely. Henrik Blomquist who did "audio warfare" (simply just sampling) is gone, but we still get some movie samples this time around as well. The band also had some guest musician doing keyboards on "Mindfield", but those are long gone on this record. It's clear that the band aimed for an angrier and rawer sound, which to my disappointment leaves out much of the atmosphere and musical depth Face Down got into their music before. There are no tunes that sound like "Hatred" or "Holy Rage" from the debut here, and I really dug that shit.

My conclusion is that this album ultimately is a somewhat stripped-down, angrier and more brutal album than its predecessor. It's a really solid collection of headbangers, moshers and fighting themes present here, but it tends to get somewhat repetitive in the long run. I really miss the variety in songs and track-list layout of "Mindfield" here, as it's a much more dynamic listening experience than this one. However, if you are really pissed off, fighting some douchebag, or if your girlfriend left you and your reaction is anger rather than depression and Type O Negative, then this album is very much suitable for you.

Stand-outs: Self-Appointed God, Waste, Bed Of Roaches, Cleansweep.

Rating: 78/100

Face Down - Mindfield (1995)

Back in 2008 and 2009 I was very much into (early) 90's metal - Pantera, early Machine Head, Fear Factory, Rage Against The Machine, Faith No More, Mordred, and too many others. Besides funky bands I think it was bands with great grooves that especially caught my attention. I don't like nu metal, and I never did, but I always liked funk and that groovy, almost "danceable" metal sound that some bands had.

Since I'm Swedish I've always been very interested in my own country's musical scene. There were lots of great heavy metal bands in Sweden during the 80's, and in the 90's Sweden ruled the earth with its finest death metal (Dismember!!). But other than death metal, I never really heard about bands that followed any of the American trends during the 90's. That was, however, until I read a 1996 mag of Metal Hammer that I bought in an auction. In this mag I read about this new and fresh band Face Down, which was described as a Swedish answer to Machine Head.

I managed to track down my own copy of the CD which was reviewed in that mag, which was their debut album "Mindfield". When I heard it I instantly heard those Machine Head influences, but it was still different. Compared to Machine Head, Face Down had less of the many hardcore-punk influences of Machine Head, and instead the influence of Swedish death metal. Now this is something I actually appreciate more, since I dig hardcore-punk, but never was a huge fan of it.

The "Mindfield" CD was played a lot in my old boy room back in 2009. I really their sound, like a darker and somewhat doomier sounding Machine Head, with Pantera's tight and heavy album sound, completed with Swedish death metal-thick guitars. Then at some point, I ventured further into the music world to discover more styles of a different kind (bands like The Doors, for instance), and so I kind of forgot about Face Down.

I recently rediscovered the album (and band), and "Mindfield" has been played a lot at my crib lately, which my girlfriend Linn ain't too fond of, as she's not into that 90's metal sound. I've also listened a lot to their second album "The Twisted Rule The Wicked", which I liked back in the day as well, but not as much. Today, however, I appreciate it a lot more. It's more brutal and sounds a lot more raw, which is the reason I didn't like that one as much back in 2009. I think it sounds like a more brutal brother of Testament's album "Low". But I always really liked the machine-sounding production on "Mindfield", it suits the music perfectly, just like with Pantera and their albums.

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I wrote an album review of "Mindfield" for the Metal Archives back in 2009, here it is:

"The first real feeling I got from this album upon hearing it was that it sounded like these guys was, or could've been a great Machine Head cover band in their formative days. I also later found out that they formed as Machine God. I don't think there's too much speculation from where their inspiration comes from. But anyhow, these guys weren't maybe groundbreaking, but they did in fact do some good metal music. I guess that this album could pretty much be described as a follow-up by Machine Head with different singer, 'cause they're very much alike. Another great thing I love with this album is that they've got "audio warfare" as they call it, which basically is keyboards. It gives the tunes the right athmosphere and it can probably remind a little of industrial metal as well.

All of the songs are heavy as hell and some are slower while others are faster. Some songs, mostly "One Eyed Man" and "Save Me, Kill Me" are like ballads with heavier and/or faster parties. "Hatred" is a song that pretty much catched everything this album's about. It starts off heavy and mid-fast and goes into an epic mid-section before ending pretty damn aggresssive. The most important about the album is probably Marco Arco, the singer (later in The Haunted, yes). The guy has gotta have some angry feelinga inside him since he screams the hell outta his loungs. The production is pretty nice, could've been better but it could've also been worse.

In it's whole I think the title "Mindfield" lives up to itself. This ten-pack of "post-thrash" explosives is defenitely of my recommendation. Also, if you're a fan of bands like Machine Head, Exhorder, Pantera, Lamb of God etc., and it'd actually turn out that you like Face Down ... Then check out the Swedish band Brainwave and their album "Outstretched". It's the same deal as this one. Enjoy!"