The debut from this musty, old school Swedish death metal act, What Lies Beyond, was a solid record, but none one I’ve really revisited since I purchased it. And the same can be said true of the follow up: a solid old school Swedish death metal record, but one that’s likely to get lost in 2019 slew of higher profile releases in the style.

Firmly rooted in the early Entombed and Grave tones of yore, the album rumbles with a old school musk rather than a more polished HM 2 sound of some of tier peers. This is a more filthy, dirty tone with a focus on mid paced , sometimes more doomy pacing rather than slicing leads and more energetic, pummeling gallops.

The more crawling, rotten throes are rendered with a perfect production from Ulf Blomberg (who also produced last years Crawl release, Rituals), and the vocals of Rille are a perfect deep, throaty complement, recalling Grave’s Ola Lindgren. Just don’t expect any truly classic or instantly memorable numbers amid the 37 minute and 9 songs.

But you can expect some Autopsy meets Grave, sickly, shambling HM2 lumbers and grooves. From aptly opener “Life in the Sewers” through the likes of  rumbling “Inner Carnivore” and loping “Madness of Creation” to 6 minute closer “Stench Of Infection”, the album does what it does with solid efficiency and results. There are a couple of blasts or more traditional Stockholm canters like the “Life in the Sewers”, the title track “Translucent Visions”, or “Non​-​Functioning Pile of Rot”, but it certainly is not the focus of this solid entry into the genre, that renders a more reeking, rotting tone.

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