SOILWORK’s latest unfortunately isn’t their greatest, but rest assured Figure Number Five will still tear you yet another new asshole! Their brand of in-your-face Swedish metal is as streamlined as ever but is still chock-full of hooks and melodies that would bring a smile to your grandmother’s face (of course while tearing her a new one too). Picking up where Natural Born Chaos left off, Figure Number Five kicks off with the band’s first single “Rejection Role,” a near-perfect, near-radio-friendly culmination of their musical mastery that sets the tone for the rest of the album. “Rejection Role” is compact yet precise, trading indulgent Swedish-metal riffs for ones more texture-based. But don’t sell the band short for exhibiting such characteristics of a growing band; this is perhaps the most risk-taking album SOILWORK has crafted. Every track on Figure Number Five is based heavily around the choruses. In fact, “Departure Plan” is almost ballad-esque with tranquil, sing-song verses and a smack-you-in-the-face, scream-along chorus. Don’t kid yourselves folks, you saw it coming with Natural Born Chaos. Speed indeed shows off even more clean singing this time around, but that’s a damn good thing cause Speed does it far better than most out there and he does it with balls! While it’s hard to put a finger on any standout tracks (they all seem to blend together almost too well), Figure Number Five doesn’t falter. It’s everything a SOILWORK record is but all growns up. (Nuclear Blast)