Swedish styled death metal is coming from all over the globe now. And adding to Polish bands playing the style like Ulcer and labelmates Kingdom, is the debut album from Eteritus. I have not heard the band’s previous 2014 EP Tales of Death, but Following the Ancient Path is a solid if unspectacular take on the genres.

Mid range, buzzing chainsaw guitars? Check. Gruff vocals? Check? Full on Entombed/Dismember/Grave worship? Double check. And while everything is done right on the album, whether it’s my recent exposure to so many albums in the style (Rotten Casket, Evoked,  Fatalist, Nocturnal Hollow, Brutally Deceased, Decomposed, Demonbreed, Ashcloud) or Eteritus‘ lack of truly standout songs, the album isn’t exciting me as one of this genre usually would.There is nothing wrong with the album at all. The aptly named, 32 minute, 9 song affair has everything a fan of classic Swededeath would want, and its delivered with energy and a sport on production. The songs are a good mix of burly, trundling, paced bruisers like “Biocentric” and  “End of Line” and the more classic Stockholm canter/trot like  “Hellish Imagery” and “Eye of the Storm” and a little of both “(The Unliving Thing”, ‘Somber Mind”). But none of it sticks. Even for a super fan like me, there’s isn’t  a song or riff on the album I can hang my hat on, recall or want to go back to.

Closer  “Mortal Prophecy” delivers a little redemption about half way through with a solid little romp, but in all it’s still an album I’m not overly enamored with. There’s simply to much other, better albums of the style  that came out recently or are due out soon.

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