Back in the early ‘90s a bundle of talented new Metal bands began to emerge from the Scandinavian corner of the world. In Sweden in particular, you had bands like Opeth, Arch Enemy, In Flames, and At the Gates to name a few. There were also those creating some more Death Doom Metal leaning music like Katatonia, and this was ever-so compelling. Eventually transforming into something vastly different by the time their 1998 album Discouraged Ones arrived, to satisfy a love for the Death Doom Metal genre, Jonas Renkse and Fred Norrman formed a new project in 1994 that they called October Tide.
A separate entity from Katatonia, October Tide impressed fans in a big way with 1997’s Rain Without End, along with 1999’s Grey Dawn. However, the story of the band abruptly ended after the second album, leaving those yearning for more rather disappointed. Although, this would not be the final chapter, because when Norrman bowed out of Katatonia in 2009 he opted to revive October Tide. Doing so with a lineup absent of Renske, who was busy with Katatonia, since the return October Tide has put out several impressive albums; from 2010’s A Thin Shell through to 2019’s In Splendor Below. Now in 2023, the band returns with more new music under the album title The Cancer Pledge.
Released on October 6th through Agonia Records, it marks their 7th overall album, and follows a similar direction as In Splendor Below. What this means is the band opt to keep the dark melodic aspects, but go lighter on the Doom ones, all while relying more on Death Metal elements. Done so with intention by key songwriter Fred Norrman, joining him is his brother/ex-Katatonia bassist turned second Guitarist Mattias Norrman, Vocalist Alexander Högbom (ex-Demonical), Bassist Johan Jönsegård (Letters From The Colony) and Drummer Jonas Sköld (Letters From The Colony / Thenighttimeproject). A lineup which has worked consistently together now for over 7 years, they sound exceptionally tight here on The Cancer Pledge.
With this in mind, they put together 8 new songs that ride the lines of Melodic Death Metal from start to finish. Doing so with plenty of darker moments left over from their more Doom Metal material, the progression feels natural and never dull. This is executed well throughout, but some highlights include “Peaceful, Quiet, Safe,” “Tapestry of our End,” the ominous “I Know Why I’m Cold,” and the lovely “Season of Arson.” Just a few examples of what the album has to offer, there are moments you can clearly hear Fred Norrman interject his stylings that you heard on earlier Katatonia works… especially on “Season of Arson.”
Overall, The Cancer Pledge is a different album for October Tide. Still melodic, still dark, and very layered, the band remains true to their sound, just while experimenting with some new ideas. Interesting, and more enticing with each listen, Cryptic Rock gives The Cancer Pledge 4 out of 5 stars.
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