I always blanch at listing a band's pedigree but here it is appropriate. The Few Against Many is a group comprised of members from Scar Symmetry, Angel Blake, and Solution .45, amongst others. Keeping these bands in mind, it is not surprising Sot mixes decidedly crunchy Scandinavian death metal with crystalline keyboard washes.

This strange pairing naturally causes all sorts of dilemmas for the band's sonic identity. Are they paying homage towards their various other projects in one fell swoop? Are they worshipping at the altar of Entombed, At The Gates or Amorphis? The answer is never clear, and as such, it is hard immersing one's time into Sot.

When the band's mad science works, the results are memorable yet brutal. Opening cut "Hadanfard," for example, lacerates music fans with meat hook riffs and pummeling drums accentuated by synthetic swells. Follow-up "Brand Mark," meanwhile, unleashes a slab of melodic death metal befitting recent Septic Flesh efforts, the band interspersing choral chants with upbeat, passionate riffing.

A song like "Blod," however, does not fare anywhere near as well. Starting off with a promising lead and orchestral flourishes, the song devolves into a progressive metal mess soaking up moog-esque sound effects. The combination is cringe-inducing at best and utterly implausible at worst.

"Skalpsens Sorti," for its part, falls under the same axe. Its momentum stunted by a 1980s synth opening, the band's eventual orchestra versus guitars battle has trouble leaving the ground. Though it reaches respectable heights where solid melodic death metal soars, it never climbs to the legendary altitudes where the greater bands reside.

The title track nearly remedies this with a blast of frantic metal which shifts gears into a beatdown of thick, weighty grooves. Just as a masterful set of strings harkens the coming of a highlight-worthy riff, however, the band lets it pass by, never capitalizing on what they have. Though the song struggles on after this, it does not recapture its earlier moment of glory.

The rest of the album fares about the same. "Abider" is a mess of harmonics and blistering solos sandwiched between droll passages of chugging riffs. "Heresi" hits some high points with a rumbling, bass-heavy song which careens like a freight train gone off the rails. Last but not least, "One with the Shadow" ends Sot with a somber piano ballad soon erased by a weak blend of slow-paced metal and synth hums.

Long story short, Sot tries cooking with several disparate ingredients. The first few bites might contain a hint of novelty, but following this, the order of the day is a bad taste in one's mouth. The Few Against Many are a few steps off the typical melodic death metal path, but it does not change the fact they are lost.

Tracklisting
Hadanfard
Brand Mark
Blod
Skalpsens Sorti
Sot
Abider
Heresi
One with the Shadow