Various Artists
Invocation of death vol. 1
Death Invocation Records
10 tracks of raw (fucking) death metal, committed to cassette tape, the flimsiest of formats and the perfect medium to showcase the New Wave of Old Swedish Death (NWOSD??). Just as it should be, because fidelity is far from the point in this horrorshow. Of the 10 acts featured on the tracklist, Vanhelgd was the only name I immediately recognized, though Gravehammer does (justifiably) seem to be making waves of their own with their recently released 7" on . Somewhat unsurprisingly, those two are also two of the immediate standouts, but that doesn't mean the rest of the acts are slackers; far from it in fact, all are solid, satisfying listens, from the German thrash-influenced battery of Decapitation to the rawer, more Repulsion-ified attack of both Zombiefied and Reincarnage. However, my favorite discovery of this collection has got to be "Funeral plague" by Abduction, the heaviest cut of the lot by far and a song that would not be at all out of place on ' seminal "Grindcrusher" compilation from 1989. Växjö's Eviscerated rank #2 with an epic number, full of twisted riffs and a well-developed sense of melody. Definitely looking forward to hearing more from both those guys, definitely keeping a close eye on .
- Avi Roig
