Sorry for the tardy review of a 2018 release, but I just recently got a pack of CDs from new Swedish label SouthCoast Productions, and amid the second effort from Spain’s atmospheric black metal act Neptunian Sun and debut from Finland’s Motorhead lovin’ Poison Whiskey, one of the label’s other  first releases was is the reissue of this KILLER EP from this reactivated Swedish death metal act, who self released this 4 song monster last year.

Like fellow Swedes Entrails, these guys were active in the early 90s, but didn’t release but a couple of demos, but also like Entrails did a decade years ago, have resurfaced to show everyone how it’s done. And boy is it good, even just with 4 songs and 16 minute runtime, it’s an absolute beast of an EP and a teaser for for band’s full length debut, The Shadow From the Ancient Tomb, later this month.

First off, this is one of those releases that goes to the source for its killer sound with a sick, authentic Tomas Skogsberg, Sunlight Studios sound ( the forthcoming album has a cover of a zombified hand holding a Boss HM 2 pedal), and it’s FUCKING MASSIVE, just listen to that single guitar riff at the 15 second mark of opening track “Die”, and tell me your fillings aren’t shaking around in your head. The influence is clearly heavily leaning towards Grave  and their debut, Into The Grave, with a thicker, denser delivery than their peers, and a focus trundling massive riffs or huge, down tuned grooves, with some wall of noise blasts thrown in for good measure. All 4 tracks deliver all in spades; there’s that tooth rattling opening tone gain to open the title track, classic Swedish canter of “Superior Virus” and Bolt Thrower-y- trundle of “Bleeding Through”. All rendered with Skogsberg’s sick, classic tone and the deeper than heck vocals of Matthias Flintberg.

Every few years there seems to be that ‘it’ band, with the next ‘it’ sound that brings Swedish death metal back with a bang, (Entrails, Demonical, Horrendous, Gravestone, Fatalist) and even this year has seen a solid group of releases in the style (Gods Forsaken, Demonbreed, Wretched Fate,) and even releases from Wombbath (also produced by Skogsberg) and Entombed AD on the horizon, don’t sleep on In Pain, as they actually could be the best of them all…

[Visit the band's website]

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