Who would have guessed that CRITERION hail from Norway after only listening to their music and not paying attention to the record company’s info sheet? Well, they are but their sound is totally late 80s / early 90s US Death Metal. Not too original, I know, but still far enough from today’s trends in Death Metal. It’s quite a relief that there are still bands around who give a damn about the flavour of the month and who simply write good songs instead. CRITERION sound pretty heavy (no new world records in terms of speed, that is) and come up with pretty melodic harmonies and solos (I simply love the one on ‘Obliteration’) but successfully avoid sounding cheesy or whimped out. AND: singer John R. Urbanski really sounds as if he deeply believes in whatever he’s singing. Definitely more than just a cool sounding guy who somehow managed to remember his lyrics. It’s this combination of heaviness and (rather sinister) melodies that suggest: these guys are not only a pleasure listening to on record but are also bound to make you move in a club. I’d really like to see these guys over here in Germany! www.criterion.no