Search - Afflicted :: Prodigal Sun

Diverse and ground-breaking

phobos | Berkeley, CA United States | 03/19/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album is a strange mix of ground-breaking material that still sounds innovative and fresh over 10 years after its release, along with some fairly dated moments that place it firmly back in the days when death metal was still gaining momentum. There are some pretty thrashy parts here and there. With that said, though, this is an extremely unique and often amazing album. It incorporates some diverse elements (sitar, for instance) and uses them in really original ways, mixing them intermittently with brutal metal. In this way it reminds me of Theory in Practice's first album. Although this band never received much attention, I think it quietly influenced a lot of bands. It's weird for the sake of being weird, I guess, but this approach often pushes metal forward. In terms of originality and willingness to experiment, I would put this in the same league as great technical death bands like Atheist, although it is not quite as technical. Unfortuately, as seems to be the case for oddball music of this sort, this band is almost unknown (my CD languished at my local used CD store for over 3 years, before I bought it on a whim, and I live in a big city). My only complaint is that I would have liked more of the weird acoustic/ethnic moments."

Great Metal!

A. Urribarri | Panama | 04/05/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Well, a friend of mine had this Afflicted Prodigal Sun on tape a long time ago, and i get a copy of that tape and since then I just wanted to have that record on CD, finaly I have one!!

this album reminds me in certain parts Entombed's Clandestine, and some lead guitars like Dismember first album, I think it's the scandinavian metal sound of the 90's! really cool! but maybe with some innovative sound that makes very special this album, I can't say if it is progressive or technical the sound on each song, but without being soft, they mantain the brutality on their riffs and blasting drums as well as in rythmic parts. For sure it's a great sound that deserves to pay attention."

Pleasant Surprise

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 04/04/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Did you ever notice how it's always one of those cheap cut-out bin albums that ends up completely surprising you? I picked up the 1992 debut album Prodigal Sun by Afflicted on a whim when I saw it in a clearance bin, and it ended up impressing me a great deal.



This album has a few things going for it right off the bat, namely (a) they're Swedish, (b) they're a death metal band, and (c) they're from the early 90's. The Swedish death metal scene in the 1990's was extremely strong, and while Afflicted obviously didn't have the same impact as At the Gates and In Flames, they still lived up to that high level of quality.



Prodigal Sun is a very thrash-influenced death metal album, fast paced and with harsh vocals. It's not as melodic as what the Gothenburg bands were releasing, but it's not your basic Cannibal Corpse death metal either. There's enough experimentation (i.e. instrumental passages, Eastern sounds) to keep things interesting, though by and large this is a put it in and bang your head kind of album! I think the closest points of comparison are fellow Swedes Ceremonial Oath and Tales From the Thousand Lakes-era Amorphis.



Death metal fans would do well to check out Prodigal Sun, especially if you're fortunate enough to run across it at a clearance rate.

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