Album Review: Graveyard – Peace

Graveyard – Peace
Release Date: May 25, 2018

September of 2016 was one of the saddest months of my life when it was announced that Swedish face rockers Graveyard were calling it a day.  I was so bummed and I literally mourned their loss but then all of the sudden, in January of 2017 it was announced that the band was returning but this time with a different drummer.  I screamed a glory call that could be heard across the cosmos and eagerly waited to see what would become of one of my all time favorite bands.

This was a very fragile time and Graveyard, as usual, wasn’t making a big deal about anything.  They played a few festival dates and then launched the Fen Fire Tour of Europe.  Nobody knew who this mysterious new drummer was and of course we Graveyard fans knew that something was brewing.  It was either going to not work and this would be it or this would be a new beginning.  Lucky for us, drummer Oskar Bergenheim proved to be the missing link and Graveyard was reborn in the form of a new album in 2018 called Peace.

Every time Graveyard puts out a new album I always find myself with this nervous, tense excitement.  Every album that Graveyard has put out has shown the band taking new steps and growing as songwriters and performers.  Every album was unique and hell, call me a superfan but I fucking loved each and every one of them warts (very few of them) and all. Peace though; Peace is something truly special and unlike any Graveyard album that I ever expected them to make.

The opening track, “It Ain’t Over Yet” was such a kick to the groin and was a bold and brash statement that Graveyard is back.  The fire, the energy, the pent up feeling of frustration just oozed through the speakers.  Oskar is definitely a monster of a drummer and honestly, Graveyard couldn’t have chosen a more perfect drummer.

Former drummer Axel Sjöberg had more of a subtle heaviness to his playing but Bergenheim has all the chops of Bill Ward on the heavy songs like “Cold Love” and “Please Don’t” yet has the ability to bring it down to the most gentle of touches on Truls Mork’s masterpiece, “See the Day” and the slow burn western tinged “Del Manic” which just may be one of the greatest Graveyard songs to date.

To pick a single highlight of this album is absolutely impossible because honestly, this album is flawless.  As a matter of fact, I would even go as far to say that this is without a doubt Graveyard’s best release to date.  From the thought provoking artwork to the rollercoaster of emotions covered by the songs, Peace is a testament to a band who, when we all thought had been drained of their lifeblood, rose from the ashes like a mighty phoenix and presented us with an album of timeless, unforgettable music.

If there were every any doubters out there that Graveyard was losing their touch, those thoughts can be cast aside.  Peace is everything that Graveyard is and it has me excited for many more years to come from Graveyard.

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