When yours truly was an awkward middle schooler cutting his teeth on Slayer, Iron Maiden, and Cradle of Filth, melodic death metal was a gateway drug into extreme metal. For some, Soilwork‘s divisive 2002 Natural Born Chaos spelled the beginning of the end for the Swedes’ long-running spree of albums that were fiercely technical but accessible, being just heavy enough to keep posers and teenagers away. But for an acne-ridden little Dustin, Natural Born Chaos was an album that opened wide the gates into death metal. Natural Born Chaos, like it or not, is a defining album for Soilwork and a prototype for where they would go on subsequent records. 

After the wildly successful A Predator’s Portrait, Soilwork continued their progression into more atmospheric and accessible territory, much to the chagrin of metal gatekeepers everywhere. Natural Born Chaos, even more so than the previous album, is the clear precursor to Soilwork’s full immersion into the mainstream: “The Flameout” has a wildly infectious chorus with heavily layered vocals and focuses more on its mid-paced grooves than on the speedy technicality of past works, and “The Bringer” became the blueprint for every half-ballad that the band would write on future albums. For all of its insanely catchy melodies, though, Soilwork never sacrifice the power of their rhythms and still bring the goods with flashy leads backed by walls of ambient keyboards, most notably in “As We Speak.” (Which, fun fact, I heard on MuchMusic one late night and was what got me into the band.)

Ahh, memories of poorly shot 00s music videos.

If you came into the Soilwork world any time after the release of Figure Number Five or Stabbing the Drama, you need to appreciate the roots of their modern style by giving Natural Born Chaos a listen. Likewise, if you’re one of the “old guard,” maybe a re-listening wouldn’t be as bad as you thought it would be. Containing some of the band’s signature songs that are still staples of their live set, Natural Born Chaos may not be everyone’s favorite, but it’s an important album for modern metal and marks the first major shift in Soilwork’s sound.

– Dustin