UNLEASHED – Fire Upon Your Lands (Album Review)

Dragon boats breathe fire upon the lands.

Getting the job done can mean several different things in the context of crafting quality death metal, be it telling a vivid story of gratuitous violence and gore, or delving headfirst into the dark world of the occult. But for old school Swedish death metal pioneers Unleashed, the sign of victory comes in the form of plundering hordes of Norsemen invading the rest of Europe at the height of the Viking Age.

Indeed, ex-Nihilist bassist turned helmsman Johnny Hedlund and his fold of sonic warriors can be counted among the pioneering acts to blend the brutality of death metal with the exploits of the sons of Odin, even predating the early strides made by fellow Swedish trailblazers Amon Amarth. Yet with more than 35 years of storming the auditory battlefields now behind them, this Stockholm-born quartet has lost none of the musical luster with the arrival of Fire Upon Your Lands, their 15^th and latest studio LP.

Where some bands might find it prudent to allow modern stylistic innovations to redefine their style, Unleashed has made the ongoing strides in studio technology the servant of their signature sound, retaining the same blend of early 90s brutality with a frostier bite that initially typified Hedlund’s former Nihilist band mates’ game-changer project Entombed and fellow Stockholm scene pioneers Dismember and Grave.

The result is a level of crispness and clarity that is tailored for the present day, but loses none of its edge and its archaic mystique. The gargantuan battering ram of force brought to bear by drummer and co-founder Anders Schultz proves as potent as a raging blizzard yet highly controlled, while the master craftsmanship and virtuosic flair of the riff and solo work of axe-wielders Tomas Olsson and Fredrik Folkare would have little trouble felling the competition in open combat. But the steady bass lines and highly distinctive growl of Hedlund himself stand tall as the lone berserker leading the mighty charge.

Streamlined and concise skirmishes of blood-soaked aggression are the order of the hour, wherein Fire Upon Your Lands’ eleven mighty anthems are concerned. Wasting no time, the opening barrage of death thrashing carnage “Left For Dead” kicks things off with a rapid fire, textbook early 90s charge that is as heavy as it is technically extravagant, trading pummeling down-tuned riffs with lightning fast shredding.

“A Toast To The Fallen” flies a similar flag of flash above a driving dash, but goes a little more chaotic and sees Schultz blasting away at the kit like he’s auditioning for Immortal while the guitars occasionally flirt with a melodeath aesthetic. Rounding out the opening trio of deathly terror in a metal helmet is “The Road To Haifa Pier”, which leans into an almost blackened aesthetic with shimmering tremolo riffs and blast-happy drumming, anchored by Hedlund’s low-tone beastly barks like a bearish bard roaring at the frozen sky.

As this anthology of Viking exploits progresses, so too does the stylistic toolbox at Unleashed’s disposal, like a growing crescendo encompassing just over 38 minutes. Among the more elaborate battle scenes set to music include “War Comes Again” and “Hold Your Hammers High”, both of which bounce back between the deep and forbidding dissonant doom meets thrashing mayhem of the old school sound one might expect from Bolt Thrower and Benediction with the crackling coldness with a sorrowful melodic flair more unique to the Scandinavian approach.

That said, one would be remiss not to be blown away by the frenzied shredding and chaotic mayhem that is “Loyal To The End” or its more riff-centric thrash-infused cousin “To My Only Son”, both of which bring the energy factor something fierce. Ironically, the most iconic offering of the bunch also proves to be the shortest and Unleashed’s tribute to those Vikings who went seeking adventure eastward instead of southward and fought under the banner of the Byzantine Empire, namely “Hail The Varangians”, which rivets musically at every point as Hedlund all but morphs from mere death metal front man to Norse king rallying his army for battle.

In an expansive discography of qualitative consistency, Fire Upon Your Lands definitely ranks in the upper echelon of albums bearing the moniker of Unleashed. The raging flames of victory amid a frozen wasteland that were initially set with the mighty 1991 debut Where No Life Dwells have yet to even flicker, let alone show signs of receding. Like the blades of mighty broadswords forged by the master dwarves Brokkr and Sindri themselves, there is not a dull crevice to be found within this finely tuned old school death machine.

It recaptures the same balance of frostbitten rage that emanated from every moment of The Hunt For White Christ and merges it with the towering power and bluster of 2012’s Odalheim, all the while managing to up the technical ante further still. Though they are occasionally regarded as the odd ones out among the early guard of the Stockholm death metal scene, Unleashed has proven the most tenacious and prolific of the lot, and Fire Upon Your Lands is the sort of unapologetic expression of traditional brutality that translates well to the ears of any self-respecting death metal enthusiast.

Release Date: August 15th, 2025
Record Label: Napalm Records
Genre: Death Metal

Musicians:

• Johnny Hedlund / Bass, vocals
• Anders Schultz / Drums
• Fredrik Folkare / Guitars
• Tomas Måsgard / Guitars

Fire Upon Your Lands Track-list:

1. Left For Dead
2. A Toast To The Fallen
3. The Road To Haifa Pier
4. War Comes Again
5. Fire Upon Your Lands
6. Loyal To The End
7. Midjardarhaf
8. Hail The Varangians!
9. To My Only Son
10. Hold Your Hammers High!
11. Unknown Flag