To my mind, Ablaze My Sorrow has always been one of those bands that missed the boat. Deeply rooted in the melodic Swedish Death Metal scene, the band has never known the success of bands like In Flames or Dark Tranquillity, or even those that can be counted as sub-toppers like Gates Of Ishtar. Still, Ablaze My Sorrow does have quite a respectable discography under its belt, both in quality and quantity.
And in that tradition, the band also continues with this new 16-minute EP, ‘The Loss Of All Hope’. What is presented here also falls under the Gothenburg Death Metal heading: heavily melodic and with a Thrashy slant. Thereby, Ablaze My Sorrow adds a good dose of melancholy in the form of a slight Doom/Gothic vibe. This is stirred into a palatable whole that is certainly not inferior to the better work in this genre. It is both catchy and melodic and at times razor-sharp, with vocalist Jonas Udd making a hefty contribution here with his aggressive vocal delivery. The clean vocals and somewhat calmer pieces are something you have to love, but at least it gives the EP a more light-hearted and varied sound.
While the band may not have been able to make waves in the explosion of Swedish Melodic Death Metal of the mid- to late-90’s, Ablaze My Sorrow has been back on the front lines for a full decade now, and largely with the original line-up. What stands out most about what the band offers musically now is the obvious fun they have with it, and then it is otherwise less relevant whether or not this moment is the right zeitgeist for your musical spins. In any case, I am still glad they are back.
