The Way of Purity
Equate

“The Way Of Purity doesn't show off with smart or cool band members. No names, no fancy photos, no effigy, no trendy musical influences and no nationality. No compromise, no way to talk or get to know us - we are the fucking NOTHING.” This can be read on this band’s myspace and then we get a band photo with Tiril Skårdal in front of a gang in army clothes and masks, looks ridiculous and isn’t that a way to show off as smart or cool? Maybe not to these guys who I believe are Swedish by the way even though the try to avoid naming nations but they sound like they are when speaking on the movie that they made together with director Susi Medvsa Gottardi, a movie quite striking in visible content with lots of blood and attitude, isn’t that a show off as well? Maybe not but it seems like every band that tries that approach or says they are of that approach misses the point and the attempt to mask the identity of the band becomes the identity of the band and it is something written about in every review I have read about this band.

Equate is the band’s second album although I read in an interview made with some unnamed character of this band that they see themselves as a project to make a point rather than a band. Strange for a band that isn’t possible to talk to to do interviews, strange indeed. Watch the movie if you want to see more of this band that does not show off, you can get it for free in our giveaway that we do in collaboration with WormHoleDeath. We also give away the EP Biteback, just contact us on our info email and you are in with a shout of winning either the DVD or the EP. The first album by this band was otherwise not too well received by us but I saw it gather some positives around the web now that I researched this band which are said to be animal activists and were apparently stopped from entering the US to make their tour which they apparently had to cancel or something like that, I didn’t read that notice too carefully I must admit.

Musically it is either metalcore or female fronted metal depending on what part of the album you listen to at the moment. The sound is good, mature and solid even though the album tends to feel a bit incoherent due to the lack of general direction in the music. It is ten tracks on the album and they play for 37 minutes which as you can deduce from what I have written already, are rather varied.

I guess the band has improved from the Crosscore album as I find this being quite good, but sure there are some problems as the incoherency which makes some parts of the album feel completely uninteresting to me they just pass and I have no recollection of ever hearing them. Some tracks are great though like the second Death Abound Everywhere and the one following which is called Eleven and then track eight The Last Darkest Night, other than those most tracks are alright but quite ordinary. The overall ordinary feeling can feel a tad odd since the band states in an interview that I read that they think the music is ending up being ordinary or bad these days, I think it is like Iron Maiden saying that making the same album over and over is a bad thing to do, stupid.

I am all for animal rights and I do really generally dislike most hunters and people who think we should kill all predators for the safety of humans, those are quite common around here where I live and I’d rather they were killed than the predators which I have yet to meet despite walking in these forests that are supposed to be full of bears that terrorises everyone very often. So that message is right I think, we need to respect animals and our nature more than we do, a lot more but to make that message as a nameless and masked vigilante feels mostly like a way to counteract your position as you become a possible threat and a coward who doesn’t dare to stand up for what you think. I can say that I want everyone who lives in the countryside here in northern Sweden who thinks wolves and bears should not be allowed to be near where people live should either move to a city where they don’t risk meeting a predator or disappear in some other way, and I can stand for that with my name. This band apparently cannot, they think their message is best stated by some masked guys in army clothing, and that is their prerogative and I will not look down on them for that, I may not agree with their way but then again I don’t agree with many people anyway. So for me this band is about a quite silly image and they are very much about this image as well, but they do produce some really good music. Silly image, decent band can be the final statement to this album that I approve.