Old school Swedish death metal is the order of day from this Swedish four-piece. It's all simple enough stuff, quite reminiscent of a less-tech Tribulation in places. "The serpent's redemption" likes to groove a lot and it makes this album sound something along the lines of old school thrash meets old school death 'n' roll. It's nothing really to write home about, but at the same time it's littered with cool parts from start to finish. Sadly, those cool parts are too short-lived and strewn between endless average sequences that often outstay their welcome. The title track is a prime example; a no mark main riff that's drawn out for way, way, way, way, way, way too long. So: there's nothing new, the riffs are average (at best), everything lasts too long and the good parts are few and far between. It's hard to see how anybody in tune with this particular scene would want this over the plethora of other releases out there. Sorry. - John Norby
For those of you who didn't pick up ' superb Crypt of Kerberos discography 3LP box set awhile back, has just reissued the band's landmark release "World of Myths" with a rehearsal demo recording of the entire album tacked on as a bonus.
It's old-school Swedish death metal time again and Stockholm quartet Morbus Chron are dishing out other people's riffs like they're going out of style. This hits me on four levels. All at once they're great, good, mediocre, and awful. You may wonder how that's possible, so allow me to disclose: Firstly, there's a killer, super-heavy and flawless production courtesy of Nicke Andersson. That's the great part. Secondly, they offer (via artist Raul Gonzalez) an oddly colorful piece of cover art that's quite like a fantasy retake on John Carpenter's "The thing". That's the good part. Thirdly, there's the music itself which, as enjoyable as it can be, is nothing more than a rehash of old Swedish riffs from days of yore. There are constant references to stuff that the band have either subconsciously 'borrowed' or blatantly ripped off and I have no idea which is true. Maybe it's neither; maybe it's a bit of both. If you want just one example, however, grab your copy of Dismember's vastly-superior "Massive killing capacity" album, crank up "Hallucigenia" and then have a blast of the main riffs in both Chron's "The hallucinating dead" and "The lidless coffin". That's the mediocre part; the complete lack of originality. And the awful part? Well, I'm never really one to have a pop at image but, guys, seriously. Unless you've had to squeeze the photo shoot in on a quick break from a day's hard graft down a coalmine, there's no excuse. To sweeten what might seem like a harsh review, I must add that Robba's vocals are pretty damn cool. Keep the sound and write something that hasn't been done by every other Swedish death metal band over the last 20 years and Morbus Chron could be onto a winner. - John Norby
The Stockholm crew have taken some flak from the death metal community since they first hit the streets around two years ago and, to be honest, it's understandable in a way. Iron Lamb might consist of three parts Repugnant and one part Daniel Ekeroth, but to say that there's not a hint of extreme metal in "The original sin" is quite the understatement. You can see why the death metallers were plenty pissed, then, as they've probably checked this out on the back of the lineup and been sickened to the bone at the distinct lack of filth. Iron Lamb is punked-up metal that, to these ears at least, is like a slightly more uptempo -- and more technically proficient -- Dog Eat Dog in a lot of places, and often sounds off like a lot of the covers found on Slayer's "Undisputed attitude" album. Despite the obvious potential shown here, from the decent (yet already done to death) songwriting to the musical expertise on offer, "The original sin" fails to hit the highs promised by the involvement of such talent. It's a difficult album to sit through, mainly because of a production that fails to pack the punch it should together with weak-as-water hardcore vocals that lack the vehemence that the music would clearly have benefitted from. This sounds like a band of extremely talented metal musicians who have tried their hand at a simple genre and succeeded in creating something that has been done so much better by so many others in the past. It's a damn shame, because on paper it's a project that I would love to love. - John Norby
The first thing I'll say about this album is that it's a grower. First impressions are that it's yet another run-of-the-mill technical death metal blastfest, but after a few listens "Death gods" begins to redeem itself. There's nothing entirely new going on here at all, rather it's a collection of tunes that border on the oldschool Swedish sound and style and that manage to better the output of a great deal of the Swedish bands who have been embracing the revival over the last few years. That's not to say that Deathchain are jumping on the funeral cart -- they've been in the business of doing their own thing for the last decade and they've been damn good at it too. The bottom line on describing "Death gods" is that it will appeal to anyone hoping to find something a little more high-end in the current HM-2 explosion. The production does a good job of extracting maximum heaviness from all involved and, in the oversaturation within this genre right now, this can often be a deciding factor in purchase decisions. A bit more listener perseverance than usual required for this one but that's what elevates it from a 2 to a 7. - John Norby
Fourteen years is a long time to be out of the recording game, but these days reunion albums seem to be par for the death metal course. It's not really a surprise, then, that Sweden's Desultory arrived back on the scene with a new disc that, unlike a great many bands in the same position, is a hell of a lot better than their sign-off album back in 1996. How does it fair in today's overcrowded market, though? Well, despite the fact that it's far from groundbreaking, "Counting our scars" is a decent slab of semi-tech death metal that blends modern-day production values with a nostalgic glance at the band's past, including their melodic Paradise Lost leanings of the '90s. Though it is decent, that's not to say that I would go out and buy this. There's a hell of a lot of other stuff out there at the minute that deserves your hard-earned cash first. If you were a fan of the band back in the day, then it's a no-brainer; go out and buy the thing and you'll love it. If you haven't heard of them before, all I can do is warn you to tread with caution. It's one of those -- you might love it or you might wish you'd passed and handed over all those crinkly bits of paper for the latest Morbid Angel opus [doubtful, few things are worse than the latest Morbid Angel -- ed.]. - John Norby
Swedish death metallers Morbus Chron are streaming 2 new tracks at myspace from their forthcoming full-length debut "Black hole reverence", due out later this year via : http://www.myspace.com/morbuschronband
Iron Lamb's forthcoming debut full-length album "The original sin" is now recorded and confirmed for release as a digital download via and on vinyl via . No exact release date, but they say it should be ready in late March.
Recently reactivated Swedish death metal act Desultory has announced that they have completed work on their new album "Counting our scars", their first since "Swallow the snake" from way back in 1996. Expect a late 2010 release via .
Ah, the good old days of Swedish death metal. They’ve never really gone away, with the early recordings of likes of Entombed, Dismember, Carnage and Grave still cited as the best, most influential death metal ever to disgust the planet. One band that was around back then -- having formed at the same time as all the aforementioned legends -- was fellow countrymen Interment. Having disbanded after the release of a few demos back in the day, they tested the water back in 2007 with a split with US death crew Funebrarum before going on to record this, their first ever full-length album. I could go on and on describing the sound and the songwriting in great detail but, to keep it short and to the point -- and to let you know exactly what this album sounds like -- one sentence will do the trick: it's the oldschool Stockholm sound and style, done with great authenticity and the aspiration to be the "Left hand path" of the 21st Century. Obviously, nothing can ever top "LHP" but, for those looking for something new in this particular style "Into the crypts of blasphemy" isn't too far away. - John Norby
Interment, yet another quality act of Swedish death revivalists, will officially unleash their album "Into the crypts of blasphemy" on August 2 in Europe, August 31 in the US. Preview here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARB2pEBYUdk
In addition to the CD on , there will also be an LP version coming out on August 13 via which will feature a bonus cover of "Torn apart" by Carnage.
Singapore's continues their acquisition of Sweden's death metal elite by picking up Crucifyre as the latest addition to their roster. The band has existed since 2006 and features an all-star cast including Erik Tormentor Sahlström (General Surgery, Maze Of Torment), TG (The Sun, Morbid), Urban Skytt (Regurgitate, Nasum), Henrik Doltz Nilsson (Dobermann Cult) and Yasin Hillborg (Afflicted). Look for their debut full-length to be released later this year.
Old-school Swedish death metal revivalists Morbus Chron report that they'll be releasing their much-anticipated demo tape via in February with their proper full-length debut following sometime later via .
Iron Lamb has scrapped their plans to do a split record with Deadmask, but they are still recording this weekend for their own 7" single as well as a split 7" with Motorbreath, both to be released via Austrian label . As for the band's upcoming full-length, the plan is now to record in May/June for an August/September release via .
Those of us old enough to remember the emergence of the classic Swedish death metal sound -- that is, the Tomas Skogsberg/Sunlight Studios sound -- know only too well the nostalgic goosebump feeling that arrives every time we hear said sound chainsaw its way out of a good set of Mordaunt-Shorts. And it's that feeling that arrives in abundance upon listening to "The horror", the searing debut album from Arvika's Tribulation. The music itself is a tech-death/black/thrash amalgam that's as musically precise as they come and that benefits from exceptional song construction throughout. Add a shivering guitar sound that references Sweden's old-school elite with a perfectly-balanced production and you have an album that simply commands attention. With vocals bordering on a black metal rasp layered over a relentless metal bombardment, the sparing use of clean and piano passages offers a welcome deviation from the onslaught and exudes an eerie '70s horror movie feel. While the majority of "The horror" is an all-out riff-frenzy, there are numerous slower moments that, without doubt, is when we see Tribulation at their finest; parts evident in the likes of "Curse of resurrection" and "Seduced by the smell of rotten flesh" that suggest that these guys -– if they're clever -– could find themselves the torchbearers for a resurgence in the style. Hell, they even sport an image that screams Stockholm 1990. "Left hand path" this ain't but, by hell, it's one savage album! - John Norby
Bombs of Hades
Morbus Chron
Iron Lamb
Deathchain
Desultory
Interment
Tribulation
