Gorefest - Soul Survivor (1996)^{Release ID: 9364}

I discovered this gem last night. 

The band is:
Jan-Chris de Koeijer – vocals, bass guitar

Frank Harthoorn – guitar

Boudewijn Bonebakker – guitar

Ed Warby – drums

Rene Merkelbach – mellotron and grand piano

What you get here is some awesome Death N Roll. When I first heard the band I would have sworn they were from the American South, because this thing is steeped in the blues. You get some slide guitar, and occasional piano backings. It plays like some super beefy southern rock, yet they actually hail from the Netherlands! 

Jan-Chris de Koeijer has that tough guy strut to his voice like Phil Anselmo, with a slight drizzle of Chris Barnes at his best. It's heavy, powerful, and definitely not clean, but it's also crystal clear. You can sing along to this album even if you don't speak fluid death-metal. The band plays very groovy and catchy music with pleasant tones dialed in all around, and the mix is excellent too. 

The Formula:

50% Pantera

30% The Sword

10% Lynyrd Skynyrd

5% Six Feet Under

5% Hatebreed

The stand out track for me is the title track, and it's representative of what you will get with rest of the album. Lyrically, imagine if Conan the Barbarian had a poetic side and you're gonna be in the right ballpark.

So yeah, this thing rocks. Go listen to it!