Ribspreader – Opuc Ribcage

Ribspreader have recently released their third full-length album entitled “Opus Ribcage”. Despite the substitution of the band’s former lead guitarist, Dan Swanö, by Andreas “Dea” Karlsson, not much has changed in regard to their style.

Overall, “Opus Ribcage” is an average to low quality release; mid-tempo death metal, definitely groovy, but nothing more than that! The album starts with a guitar intro. Maybe for some of you this intro may seem ultimately appropriate, but to me it’s rather unnecessary, since there’s nothing special about it. I mean, if you want to put an intro to your album, then make sure that there’s a reason for doing so. Every single aspect of an album (intro, tracks, sounds, artwork, etc.) needs to have a meaning and a purpose. And according to my opinion at least, this intro has no purpose at all!

I like the groove in this album a lot! It reminds me of Grave back in 1992, only in much lower quality… The thing is, you can’t tell one track from another and this is both good and bad. One may claim that they have a personal style and they follow it in every track. On the other hand though, this indicates that there’s no variation and no ingenuity in their tracks’ composition. “Opus Ribcage” is “flat” and there are no surprises! I have no idea whether this was done on purpose or not, but I definitely don’t like it!

The only thing that actually caught my attention – and not in a good way – is that they decided to include their own version of Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Pop”. For starters, why would a band – which is by no means good enough – choose to lay their hands on such a timeless and perfect track?! There are some musical pieces that are truly untouchable and should by all means remain so. At the same time, people need many things, but replicas aren’t included in that list! However, let’s just put this aside for now and let’s focus on their version of that track: the first time I listened to Ribspreader’s version of “Blitzkrieg Pop” I honestly wanted to throw-up! It’s a totally unprofessional and amateur attempt to grab some of Ramones’ sparkle and make a record worth listening to. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not a Ramones’ fan at all, but I recognize their supreme contribution to music in its broader context… Anyway, it’s their right to make choices and as a reviewer it’s my right to disagree with them!

Last but not least, comes the album’s artwork. Given that what I have is just a promo I can’t take a look at anything else but the album’s cover and this is all I’ll comment on: Cross my heart, my six-year-old nephew could have drawn something like this and maybe even better!

I wouldn’t urge any of you to buy this album, but if after reading my review you still insist on doing so, then there’s nothing more I can do!