Review by Chris Pratl on June 27, 2018.

It’s sort of hard to believe that Master has been around for 20-years now. I remember seeing these guys at nearly every club in Chicago back in the day, and front-man Paul Speckman and crew seldom disappointed. The discography is an impressive collective of honest, brutal death metal that is straight from the book of said genre. From 2000 to 2005 Master has produced a solid release every single year, so they’ve never gone away and have only gotten more brutal with age. 

The latest effort, The Human Machine, is a mild kick in the chest void of subtlety or reserve. It’s well-produced, fast-paced death metal that has a technical side emanating from it, quite polished I might add. Maturity through death metal often means a band either waters down its style and subject matter in accordance to some imaginary borders or they manage to progress from the roots and grow from within. Master has managed to grow without letting up. Chuck Schuldiner’s Death comes to mind if pressed for a viable comparison. From Scream Bloody Gore in 1987 to Sounds of Perseverance in 1998 is an amazing example of how maturity in death metal doesn’t mean dumbing-down the music or selling out the ideal. In fact, Master’s The Human Machine could stand up well against death album from the past year or so. It’s both viable and stirs the senses.

The songs are typically Master: free-thought-promoting, sensible dirges, and violent reactions to all things inane or unjust. In the long lineage that is Master’s discography, the ever constant theme is subjugation, be it internal, mental or governmental. “Supress Free Thinking” from the CD is a full-on bitch-fest about losing the ability to think for one’s self. Speckman’s vocals are so reminiscent to Tom G. Warrior from Celtic Frost it’s haunting. His influences show throughout the CD, as does the proficiency of the band he’s assembled with Alex Nejezchleba on guitars and Zdenek Pradlovsky drumming. The trio is amazingly talented and produces through a mere trio what some bands can’t accomplish with five members. 

Heavy metal has always prided itself on being cerebral, thought-provoking music, insisting that one thinks outside the proverbial box and finds answers not always conducive to popular collective thought. Master accomplishes this through the barrage of heaviness that could crush a Sherman tank. Especially evident on the track “A Replica of Invention,” the headbang-inducing track gets under your skin and provides an additional outlet for suppressed rage and strife that might be lingering inside somewhere. 

From start to finish, The Human Machine is a death metal lesson in coloring outside the lines. This is the way death metal should be presented: fast, thought-provoking and legible. Another fine release from a vastly underrated band is ready for ingestion.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

(Originally written for http://www.metalpsalter.com)

Review by Felix on August 15, 2019.

Wolves have always played a prominent role in terms of black metal. Remember the eponymous song of Marduk, Venom's "Cry Wolf" or "Impaler's Wolves", released by Graveland in 1999. Dragonflies or hamsters do not show up that much, if I am not mistaken. However, now Seid, hailing from this fascinating country called Sweden, have discovered this cute animal and they dedicate their third album to it. Ulv boasts with an adequate artwork, so far, so good, but let's check the music itself.

Seid are able to write gripping, atmospheric lines that draw the listener into the song in a matter of seconds. Their compositional formulas do not work without exception, but who creates only highlights? Usually, they realize their musical vision successfully. "A Gift for the Wanderer", for example, mirrors the song-writing talent of the dudes in an impressive manner. The track unveils a sonic kingdom of darkness and has the potential to teach the guileless audience the meaning of fear. It's a mid-paced song, but it does not lack tempo changes that create a dynamic appearance. Moreover, it cannot hide its Scandinavian roots (and this is something that can be said about each and every piece of this album). No doubt, this wanderer walks through a dark Swedish forest, maybe on slightly trodden paths, but with a firm step.

The album does not hold too many high-speed sequences. The band still rather focuses on moderate velocity and especially the more or less dragging parts remind me of Hades every now and then. Okay, the songs are not as thick as the highlights of "The Dawn of the Dying Sun", but Seid create a more than proper density, to say the least. The mix of melancholia, power and aggression has its charm and sometimes tragic and desperation shimmer through the notes as well. But no need for panic, the album has nothing in common with this whining sub-genre called suicidal black metal. Just concentrate on the coarse and raw vocals. No doubt, he homogeneity of the material results in a coherent, but not monotonous package of melodic black metal. I don't say that each and every track hits the bull's eye. Unfortunately, exactly the opener suffers from quite mediocre and somewhat viscous guitar lines. But, as mentioned before, the overall impression is a positive one.

Unlike the music, the lyrics seem to be influenced by Unleashed. Or what would you say about lines like "We raise our horns as true men of our lands"? Johnny Hedlund smiles, and I do the same when listening to tracks like "Odal Lands", because they combine venomous harshness and rather relaxed melody lines. Finally, the production also contributes to the positive impact of the album. The guitars do not lack power, the drums are transparent and especially some double bass driven sequences generate a more or less massive wall of sound. Thus, I can recommend this output of a band that obviously sees no reason to modify its style significantly - and neither do I. And if there is any wolf with another opinion, then it should be shot.

Rating: 7.4 out of 10