Verkligheten

Verkligheten (Swedish for 'The Reality') represents a pivotal moment in Soilwork's extensive discography, arriving after the longest gap between albums in their career. Released in 2019, it serves as the studio debut for drummer Bastian Thusgaard, who stepped into the massive shoes of Dirk Verbeuren. Thusgaard’s style, while retaining the band's signature speed, introduced a slightly more fluid, groovy dimension to the percussion. Frontman Björn 'Speed' Strid continues to evolve his vocal performance, leaning further into his soulful, classic-rock influenced clean singing while maintaining his ferocious growls. The album is notable for its integration of 70s-style keyboards and progressive rock flourishes, a direction Strid explored in his side project, The Night Flight Orchestra. This cross-pollination resulted in Soilwork's most melodic and accessible work to date without sacrificing their death metal roots. Critics praised the album for its songwriting depth and polished production by Thomas 'PLEC' Johansson.