Top 10s for 2011: It's a Trap!

Mr. Death
Descending through ashes
Agonia Records

There's something intriguing about Sweden's Mr. Death that makes you want to come back for more even though you're not quite sure if you're that into their new album. Historically, that has been the mark of a damn good recording for me, with case in point being "Contradictions collapse". When Meshuggah released their debut back in '91 I had the same feeling; I wasn't quite sure if I liked it, but I kept coming back for more. Now it's one of my all-time favorite albums. I sincerely doubt that I'll be singing the praises of "Descending through the ashes" in 20 years time, but it definitely has something special for now. It's a combination of that odd sound -- like a mix of the American and Swedish deathgrinders from back in the day -- and a unique songwriting technique that's simple, yet very effective. On every listen I'm wondering if the songwriting is actually any good and I still can't put my finger on it. That it has me returning to it on a regular basis speaks volumes. It's old-school Swedish/American death metal with a production that would make Satan shit himself. Good enough for me!
- John Norby

MP3: Mr. Death - To Armageddon

Considering the recent demise of Dismember, it's good to know there are still bands out there churning out solid no-frills Swedish death (fucking) metal like Mr. Death. I'm all for innovation and and originality and whatever, but there's also something to be said for sticking to a genre and doing it perfectly and Mr. Death do just that. I'd even venture to say that their sophomore record "Descending through ashes" is an improvement on their totally solid debut. Also worth noting: there are few genres where the practitioners seem to improve as they get older and strangely, contrary to all expectations, death metal has proven to be an exception, alongside jazz and country. Yes, there are plenty of youngins who are able to nail that filthy old-school sound and so on, but more often than not, they end up coming off as try-hards or are sorely lacking in actual songwriting abilities. Not so with many of the other old-timers such as Mr. Death; see also US counterparts such as Disma and Immolation who are both 40+ and at the top of their game. Respect your elders!

Mr. Death - To Armageddon

Mr. Death album preview

Stream the entirety of Mr. Death's excellent new album "Descending through ashes" for a limited time: http://mrdeath.se/dta/
If you dig chunky old-school Swedish death, you'll be way into this. Besides Execration, it's a definite metal highlight of 2011.

Mr. Death - Celestial suffering

Mr. Death is now streaming a new track from their forthcoming EP "Death suits you": http://www.myspace.com/misterdeathsweden
Said EP comes out September 24 via Agonia Records and will be available both on 10" vinyl and CD.

New Mr. Death EP coming in September

Swedish death metal act Mr. Death will unleash their new 6-song EP "Death suits you" on September 24 via Agonia Records and it will be available on both CD and 10" vinyl.

New Mr. Death 7" out now

"Unearthing", Swedish death metal act Mr. Death's very first recording, is now released on 7" vinyl via Agonia Records. 500 copies, 2 exclusive cuts plus 2 album tracks.

MP3: Mr. Death - Death vs. the living dead

After countless hours/days/weeks of endlessly mediocre promo records, I need a palate cleanser and nothing seems to work better for that than stuff like this, old-school death metal played by old-school death metallers. Mr. Death features ex-members from Treblinka, Tiamat and Expulsion and they sound exactly like you'd expect and just the way I like it: filthy and rotten. And fun, something that modern bands often seem to forget. Who says brutal metal can't make you smile?

Mr. Death - Death vs. the living dead

Sirius playlist week #4

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. Komeda - Elvira Madigan
02. TALK 1
03. Joensuu 1685 - I'm on fire
04. Haust - Skate rock
05. Sambassadeur - Sandy dunes
06. Erik de Vahl - Got it all
07. TALK 2
08. The Confusions - Boys will be boys
09. The Knife - Heartbeats
10. Francis - I was never bored at all
11. Monzano - Cold waters
12. TALK 3
13. Ave - The load of human kind
14. Trapdoor Fucking Exit - Cardiac arrest
15. Håkan Hellström - Tro och tvivel
16. Karin Ström - Hackney Downs
17. TALK 4
18. Mr. Death - Misery's womb

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.