Posted on: August 31, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Metal Mind Productions presents re-release of the album “Motherwar” by Dispatched. This Swedish outfit is one of the most intriguing bands on the melodic death metal scene. Their thrilling debut “Motherwar” received an enormous number of positive reviews, proving to be a truly outstanding example of powerful, melodic and destructive music. Now, with this exclusive reissue, death metal fanatics can once again experience this extraordinary nine-track material, comparable to the best albums of Children of Bodom or In Flames.

Classic material from Music For Nations archives in a new digipak edition, limited to numerated 2000 copies, will be available from 10th September 2007 via Metal Mind Productions.

Dispatched
“Motherwar” (re-release)

Label: Metal Mind Records
Cat. No.: MASS CD DG 1096
Barcode: 5907785030695
Format: CD Digipak (limited edition of 2000 numerated copies)
Genre: death metal
Release date: 10.09.2007

Tracklist:

1. Intro
2. Motherwar
3. To Sleep You Go
4. She’s Lost
5. Down
6. Templar
7. The Final Countdown
8. Motherwar
9. Dispatched

Bio
The beginnings of Dispatched reach back to 1991, when guitarist and keyboard player Daniel Lundberg, together with singer Krister Andersson, decided to form a death metal band. The duo was soon backed by Jonass Kimbrell on bass and in the summer of 1992 the group records their first demo. Till the end of the year the line-up was finally completed with the second guitarist Emanuel Astrom and Dispatched entered the Stone Studio to record another demo called “Dispatched into External”. In the summer of 1993 the band visited the famous Unisound Studio to record another demo. This tape drew attention from various reviewers and even some labels started asking about them. A year later, encouraged by the growing reception, Dispatched returned to Unisound and recorded an eleven-track album-worth material, to be released by a German label Exhumed Productions. Unfortunately, soon after the recordings, Kimbrell and Astrom decided to leave the band. Daniel and Krister put the band on hold until by the end of ’95 drummer Fredrik Larsson joined the ranks of Dispatched and the group begun rehearsing once again. In the meantime Exhumed Productions have managed to release only four of the recorded eleven tracks. Right before the summer of 1996 Krister grew tired of the band and called it quits. This ended the first era of Dispatched, summarized with the releases of the “Awaiting the End” EP and “Blackshadows” LP, both containing the material recorded back in 1994. After that a new chapter of Dispatched begun, with new musicians – drummer Mattias Hellmann and vocalist/keyboard player Fredrik Karlsson – and a new approach towards music, this time more melodic than the past material. By summer ’97 the renewed line-up decided to record some new tracks, but soon they discovered that Hellmann wasn’t doing so good in the studio, so they were forced to replace him with Dennis Nilsson. Finally, in September ’97 Dispatched recorded four tracks in Studio Titan, with the material being later released as an EP called “Returned to Your Mind”. Nilsson became the official member of the group and was soon followed by second guitarist Emil Larsson. With this line-up, the band booked studio time between 3rd and 7th of August 1998 in the highly acclaimed ABYSS studio, with Tommy Tägtgren as producer. The result was a six-track EP called “Promised Land”, released just before Christmas ’98. In 1999 Dispatched begun planning their full-length release and finally in October they re-entered ABYSS, again with Tägtgren behind the knobs. Though the studio was booked for two weeks, the band needed only twelve days to complete their finest work to date. Although even before the recording sessions a handful of labels wanted to sign them up, Dispatched waited patiently until the album was ready and then, with the finished material, waited for more offers. Ultimately they chose Music For Nations and signed a deal in March 2000, followed by the release of their second (but in fact first) LP “Motherwar”. The album featured eight intriguing tracks, preceded by a surprising intro, which was in fact… Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”! The following title track, considered by many one of the best melodic death metal songs ever written, also contained some classical elements, this time taken from the works of Mozart. Another surprising part of the album is the cover version of Europe’s “The Final Countdown”, with extreme black-metal-like vocals. The album ends with an excessive, over 14 minutes long track “Dispatched”, which is both somewhat of a hymn for the band and also an outro for the record. After the release of “Motherwar”, Fredrik Larsson was replaced by Matthias Hellman on bass. In 2001 Dispatched entered Studio Fredman to record their follow-up. However, due to some difficulties the record has not been released . Despite that, the band continued touring and writing new songs, but in the autumn of 2002 the members all decided to go separate ways and Dispatched had to be put on hold. Nevertheless, in 2003 a strong reaction of the fans resulted in signing a deal with Medusa Productions and releasing the album from 2001 called “Terrorizer: The Last Chapter”. Dispatched remains one of the most prominent representatives of the melodic death metal scene ever to emerge from Sweden. “Motherwar” is truly their finest effort, showing how brilliant songwriting can be brought to the purest extremes.

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