Description

Double album on red vinyls with gatefold cover and 11 bonus tracks

Entombed’s label woes continued even after their signing to Music for Nations, as Same Difference was released in Europe in 1998 but wasn’t released in the U.S. until Roadrunner acquired the rights in 1999. Aside from new drummer Peter Starnvind, the lineup is the same as that on To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth, but the music is somewhat different — the monumental detuned guitar riffs still provide a drive like few other bands, but here they’ve become something closer to alternative metal (and not just because of L.G. Petrov’s more toned-down vocals). The decision to tinker with their sound is admirable — after all, there was a growing sense that the band was beginning to repeat itself a bit, even if its blend of aggression and groove still rivaled Pantera as among the most intense ever committed to tape. The problem here, though, is that Entombed follow that alt-metal blueprint a little too closely and end up falling prey to that genre’s main pitfall — an abundance of aggressive sound, but little that’s memorable. This being Entombed, of course, some bottomless riffs do pop up here and there to make a lasting impression. But overall, Same Difference sounds strangely generic.

Track listing:
1. Addiction King
2. The Supreme Good
3. Clauses
4. Kick In The Head
5. Same Difference
6. Close But Nowhere Near
7. What You Need
8. High Waters
9. 20/20 Vision
10. The Day, The Earth
11. Smart Aleck
12. Jack Worm
13. Wolf Tickets
14. The Supreme Good-demo 1998
15. Clauses-demo 1998
16. Jack Worm-demo 1998
17. 20/20 Vision-demo 1998
18. Deflowered-demo 1998
19. High Waters-demo 1998
20. Smart Aleck-demo 1998
21. Wolf Tickets-demo 1998
22. Kick In The Head-demo 1998
23. Dagger-demo 1998
24. Punk Song-demo 1998