Burst

by Eduardo Rivadavia Though Sweden's Burst originally formed as early as 1993 and released a few underground releases in the next few years (1996's Shadowcaster EP, 1998's Two Faced LP), it wasn't until 1999 that vocalist Linus Jägerskog, guitarists Jonas Rydberg and Robert Reinholdz, bassist Jesper Liveröd (ex-Nasum), and drummer Patrik Hultin perfected the explorative, metallic musical direction they were to become known for. First introduced on 2001's Conquest: Writhe album, this involved feeding the group's uncompromisingly harsh death metal and hardcore influences through a virtual kaleidoscope of diverse sonic textures and emotively ambient possibilities (see precursors Neurosis for reference). An EP entitled In Coveting Ways moved this mission statement forward a year later, and, after signing with Relapse Records, Burst unleashed their second full-length opus, Prey on Life, in 2003. This was followed by the critically acclaimed Origo in early 2006.