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Despite disturbingly horrendous cover art, apparently supplied by a celebrated Danish artist, Lasse Hoile, who was also employed by the likes of Porcupine Tree, Hatesphere, and Mnemic, Italian melodic metalers Node begin their third public offering, Das Kapital, on a great note with the album's first track, "War Goes on." Though the group's sound is best described as melodic, one immediately recognizes an ever so subtle dash of thrash in the band's hybridity. The chorus calls for fist-pumping, as all good thrash efforts should, and the periods in between consist of headbang-inducing guitar work courtesy of frontman Daniel Botti and Gary D'Eramo. A solo at the four minute mark, while servicable, is not exceptional, but generally contributes to the track, which is more than I can say for most similar efforts.
Comparisons to At the Gates are probably flattering to Botti and his fellow noisemakers, but are ultimately not applicable. Sure, there's an aggression to the melody that often times threatens to move the band into death territory, but I find that the catchy choruses put Node more into Arch Enemy territory. "Twenties" is a perfect example of this. There are moments when Botti sounds like a predictable Phil Anselmo, but he belts out the choruses with a greater command for melody, so throwing any label at this band is like tossing a cheese pizza at a ceiling; you know it's only going to stick until gravity's pull has its inevitable way.
Lyrically, Node impresses with an ever-present concept based on the last century's many tragedies and political conflicts. When you buy an album whose title is inspired by Karl Marx you kind of know what to expect from a textual standpoint. While political concept albums generally fail due to inherent issues with pretension, Das Kapital works because Botti sings its words and messages with such conviction. What I think makes the political concept such a popular choice among metal artists is its ability to create what is arguably the strongest of emotions; anger. Because of this reliance on a single emotion, the vocals become of great importance, and, fortunately, Node is blessed with one of the better vocalists in this regard.
Additionally, Queensryche fans will notice Node's take on the band's popular "Empire," which does the original enough justice to warrant its presence on this album. Node manipulates the track to a degree, giving it a chunkier face-lift, but the basic structure is left intact and Node's penchant for strong choruses shines on this excellent imitation of one of Queensryche's better offers.
Melodic death metal fans, rejoice! Node obviously spent quite a bit of quality time in the studio recording this gem and you should certainly be giving it the attention it deserves. Both catchy and technical, Das Kapital contains within its 52 minutes a well-rounded lesson in Metal 101 that will appease snobby purists and radio fiends alike.
| Tracklist |
| 1. War Goes on |
| 2. Twenties |
| 3. Outpost |
| 4. The East-Ghost |
| 5. Das Kapital |
| 6. Retreat '42 |
| 7. Weaknessphere |
| 8. The Plot Sickens |
| 9. One Way Media |
| 10. Empire |
| 11. Few Words Again |
: 51.54
| Buy other Node albums |
