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Sweden was a true hotbed for melodic Death Metal during the golden period of the 90s. The country produced dozens and dozens of talented bands, many of which left an indelible mark on the world of Metal music.

From Gävle, Sweden comes Planet Rain (from 1997-2006 they were known as Zweihander), a band that musically hearkens back to the times of the NWOSDM, some 20 years ago. Planet Rain independently released their debut album, Antichthon, in 2012 and it obviously reached some appreciative ears at long-running Danish label Mighty Music. That label has now released the band's follow-up record, The Fundamental Principles, in May 2014.

The Fundamental Principles is part two of Planet Rain's "philosophical" album trilogy, in which matters of life and death, earth and universe, sanity and madness, etc., are pondered. T.F.P. is a carefully crafted record and the little details have been given quite a lot attention. One can find traces of Jon Nödtveidt's sharp songwriting on this opus, some may connect Planet Rain to In Flames in one way or the other and others may even find elements similar to Amorphis. There's also a lot of progressiveness to Planet Rain's sound, which makes it a tad more unique. To top things off, they have not one vocalist in the band but three, who all provide a different vocal approach (Black Metal snarls, Death Metal grunts and even some clean vocals), which adds more depth into the songs and allows them to mix and match vocal styles, depending on which best fits each song. After only a few spins, I can safely say they have a very good album on their hands, one they can be 100% proud of.

Planet Rain has the potential to hit it big, no doubt, even though the Metal scene of 2014 is over-saturated with zillions of new Metal bands. Of course, only the most talented and hard-working bands will survive in the end...