Killing Gandhi – Cinematic Parallels (2015)

Keeping the Scandinavian Melodic Death Metal sound alive, today we have Denmark’s Killing Gandhi debut release “Cinematic Parallels”. Filled with over 40 minutes of superbly catchy music, this band keeps things quite melodic and entertaining through the duration of this release. Formed by Martin Arendal and Kasper Gram of Manticora, Wuthering Heights and others, this band delivers a timeless sound with their own modern elements incorporated to the mix, appealing to any fan of Melodic Death Metal.

The album is structured around 11 films that Martin Arendal greatly enjoys, but delivering his interpretation of them through the songs of this release. After a short intro, the band gets down to business with the explosive “The Cannibal Corpse”, a track that sounds like a mixture of Soilwork and Tracedawn with some electronic elements thrown into the mix. This super melodic and catchy vibe nicely continues through “What Lies Beneath” and “Drugs for a Mindfuck”, delivering memorable riffs and super tight drumming along the way.

The band further elevates their Melodic mastery with “The Lights Will shine Forever” and “Only the String Will Survive”, two tracks that feature intense guitar leads. These two songs greatly remind us of a more fluid version of Omnium Gatherum and Insomnium mashed together. The band’s musical abilities are beyond established by this point, and it is just a matter of much catchiness can they achieve. Blending influences of darker bands like Kalmah, “Leaders of Losers” is one of our favorite songs in this release.

For all genre snobs that are still not convinced of the magic behind “Cinematic Parallels”, “0100101101000111” and “The Rise and Fall of a Superhero” greatly continue the melodic onslaughts. The later track even features some clean male and female vocals that bring some of that Amaranthe vibe to the song. Another personal favorite is the futuristic “Illusion of Death”, reminding us a bit of Deadlock and their very explosive sound.

As the band literately takes things to “The Next Level” with the album closing track, we are left with a great first impression of Killing Gandhi. This band can totally kick ass and write some pretty epic Melodic Death Metal songs. We are jaded by all the copycats the genre has, but these guys are the real deal as they bring their own unique elements to the mix and craft some brilliant headbanging anthems in the process. If you are a fan of the genre, look no more and pick up “Cinematic Parallels” as this is one the best releases in the genre of 2015.

Label: Crime Records

Release: August 14th, 2015

Genre: Melodic Death Metal

Country: Denmark