I was just recently randomly listening to  Unsane, Insane, and Mentally Deranged, the debut album from Sweden’s Murder Squad, an early 00s supergroup featuring members of Grave, Entombed and Merciless with a guest appearance from Autopsy’s very own Chris Reifert.

And I thought to myself, ‘Man. I have not heard a homage to Autopsy delivered with some Swedish HM2 buzz in ages’. I mean bands like Ruin, Cryptic Brood and Slaughterday (and of course, Reifert’s own Static Abyss project) have all rendered that sloppy, sinewy sound well, but nothing has delivered it with Murder Squad levels of Swedish death metal resonance.

Then I literally read a review of the debut from France’s Disfuneral, instantly purchased it, and folks we have the new Murder Squad.

Formerly known as Herpes, this group of Frenchmen has added to this year’s bumper crop of excellent old school Swedish death metal, but like Nihilist/Entombed’s earlier stuff, they have a far heavier Autopsy influence to their sound (I mean look a Disfuneral’s logo font..) with oodles of oozing, scrawling sickly riffs amid the D-beat canters and trots.

I mean, just go to the album’s clear highlights in opener “Feastering the Undead”,  “Devourer of Light”, the title track, personal favorite, “Dead” or parts of oozing closer “Funeral Maze” which all could have come from Autopsy’s more sickly, doomy Retribution for the Dead EP with killer moments of shambling, sinewy grooves, although less…..’moist’ than Autopsy.  And they are intermingled with the likes of “Dissolved”, “Eternal” or “Lord of Discord” which just do that whole “Charred Remains” or “Pagan Savior”, gristle-filled, sneering, death metal tumble that Autopsy perfected on their faster songs. Just listen to “Maim, Kill, Burn”. It could have opened Severed Savior.

Blood Red Tentacle certainly adds to the bumper crop of great Swedish death metal due to its hefty HM2 buzz, but also has its slimy (blood red?) tentacles wrapped around 2022s best, more pure, old school death metal as well.

[Visit the band's website]

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