Review: Dead Kosmonaut – Gravitas

Style: Heavy metal, progressive metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, (early) Judas Priest
Country: Sweden
Release date: 31 January 2020

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This review was originally published in the January 2020 – part 2 issue of The Progressive Subway.]

I’m never quite sure what to expect with (progressive) heavy metal for this blog. Heavy metal itself is often quite limited in sound, often restricted to 70s/80s worship bands in one form or the other. Progressive heavy metal though, is a tad more varied in sound (as is to be expected given it’s prog), and sometimes even (dare I say) inventive, so it’s less obvious just what flavor you’ll get. It’s almost like a Christmas present in that respect. Granted, the songwriting with these bands is often a tad mediocre, but still, it’s exciting to unpack a new album in the style nonetheless. What remains of course is the question of what flavor of (progressive) heavy metal Dead Kosmonaut is, and if they’re competent.

For the first question I’ll happily report that this is of the more inventive flavor. The second one we’ll get to later. It’s mostly based on a chill 70s heavy metal sound, but some of the harmonies have a distinct 80s (or should I say Iron Maiden) flavor to them, and the tempo is also more 80s (aka higher). They also use a hammond organ, which is a surefire way to get bonus points from me. It’s not the riffiest heavy metal you’ll hear. It’s more based on guitar harmonies, keyboard leads, vocal hooks and the like. What also surprised me is how atmospheric the album can get. You’d say a band like this would rely solely on the singing prowess of their vocalist in softer parts, but Dead Kosmonaut make sure to really immerse you in the entire setting with more spaced out harmonies, washy guitar effects and cool synthesized soundscapes. Just listen to “Hell/Heaven” and tell me that’s not trippy af. Sonically the album is fantastic too. It’s a very airy, spacious mix. Everything sounds very balanced and it’s in no way tiring to listen to.

Now for the answer to the second question, it’s an easy one: damn straight they’re competent. What really makes this band stand out is the songwriting. They just do everything well. The hard rockers, the moody epics, the long solo passages, the vocal performance. These guys are tight alright. It’s just entertaining at every minute. There’s only one major qualm I have with this album, and that’s the pacing. The first four songs are rockers, and the last four are essentially two moody epics (with some interludes). It makes for a pretty disjointed experience. I’ve been told it was pretty standard practice back in the day to make the first half of your LP full of bangers, and the second one more experimental, but now in the digital age things just don’t work that way anymore. The songs in the second half also tend to be a bit too long. I wish they had paced the album differently, because then it likely wouldn’t have bothered me as much. Don’t let this keep you from listening to this album though. Gravitas is a lovely breath of fresh air in the heavy metal genre and is worth all your attention if you’re a fan of the style.

Recommended tracks: Black Tongue Tar, The Spirit Divide, Hell/Heaven
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Final verdict: 8/10

Related links: Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page

Label: High Roller Records – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Dead Kosmonaut is:
– Per “Hellbutcher” Gustavsson (vocals)
– Pär Fransson (guitars)
– Fredrik Folkare (guitars, keyboards)
– Mattias Reinholdsson (bass)
– Henrik Johansson (drums)