I get the sense that Dark Descent Records is still a little miffed that Entrails flew the coop to join Metal Blade, maybe even taking some solace  in the fact their latest Metal Blade release never matched the quality of the bands Dark Descent efforts. So what did Dark Descent go and do? Well basically sign another Entrails. Band around in the 9os? check. Swedish old school death metal? Check. Veteran band members from other bands of the style, genre and era? Check.

Interment comprises of former members of mainly Beyond, Centinex and Moondark that have also been in the likes of Uncanny, Demonical (in fact I’d consider Demonical almost an identical twin band with some crossover members), Entombed AD and others.  So you know the nostalgia value, overall sound and tone of their sound, but Interment have an ace up their sleeve in that this new album was produced by Tomas fucking Skogsberg! You know? the guy who INVENTED the Swedish buzz saw guitar tone. Granted, the sound and tone has been re done if not perfected since by the likes of Entrails and others, but having Skogsberg produce his first Swedish death metal record in quite some time certainly adds some inherent enjoyment.

Also, vocalist Johan Jansen, one of the original members appears, to be channeling his inner Matti Karki (Dismember) even more than I recall from the band’s last effort, 2010s Into the Crypts of Blasphemy. To the point where I had to check the album credits to make sure Karki wasn’t making a guest appearance. That, along with the band’s song writing comes together to form arguably the most Dismember sounding album since… well Dismember. Don’t believe me? Just go and listen to the start of the killer “Unholy Upheaval”,  appropriately titled “Skull Crushing Carnage” or “Repugnant Funeral” and tell me that they could not have come from Dismembers Death Metal or Hate Campaign  recalling the likes of “Questionable Ethics”, “Trendkiller” and “Patrol 17”. There’s even a slower, Massive Killing Capacity/ “Casket Garden” styled groover in the form of “Dawn of Blasphemy”.

So then, needless to say, the album kicks all kinds of ass. It’s got the killer guitar tone (of course), it’s got a great mix of beefy, blasting riffs and slightly melodic gallops and lots of blazing leads. The entire, perfect, 40 minute, 10 track run time is non stop, awesome, Swedish old school death metal bliss without being forced, to mid range, too musty or simply ripping of the classics. Though discerning ears will pick up a few more than subtle nods to Left Hand Path, Clandestine and Like an Ever Flowing Stream in the likes of “Death and Decay”, “Chalice of Death” , “Nailed to the Grave” and the title track.

There has been a lot of fine releases in the style of late: Mass Burial, Ashcloud, Under the Church, Infected Chaos, Torture Pulse and others, but Scent of the Buried reeks of authenticity and for those (like me) lamenting the loss of Dismember, downfall of Entombed and stagnancy of Grave, Interment offers up a more than capable, experienced and energizing replacement.

[Visit the band's website]

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