Left Hand Path

Expunged – Into Never Shall Review

Expunged – Into Never Shall Review

“What would you do if you came into possession of a functioning time travel device? Some would undoubtedly set out to right great historical wrongs. Noble stuff that. Unlike these do-gooders, the three low-life bastards in Expunged would blast back to 1990 and make Left Hand Path way more raw, ugly and unpolished. Also a noble endeavor if you ask me.” Violent revision.

Soulrot – Victims of Spiritual Warfare Review

Soulrot – Victims of Spiritual Warfare Review

“By the time you’re an adult you’ve made many life choices and traveled many paths. Some you regret, some you embrace. Entombed’s legendary Left Hand Path is one of my personal favorites, and 30 years after its release, the legacy of its singular sound lives on. Chile’s Soulrot are big fans of that particular path, and sophomore album Victims of Spiritual Warfare is a loving stroll down the well-trod byway now known as Swedeath.” Pathfinders.

Interment – Scent of the Buried Review

Interment – Scent of the Buried Review

“Whoa, it’s quite a surprise to see a new Interment album in 2016 considering they were a contemporary of Entombed and Dismember back in the early days of the Swede-core death scene, but didn’t release anything until 2010. Now we get the erstwhile followup a scant 6 years later? Major machinations are clearly underway at Camp Interment and their production schedule is definitely ramping up!” Releases may be slow, but death they certainly know.

Yer Metal is Olde! Entombed – Left Hand Path

Yer Metal is Olde! Entombed – Left Hand Path

“We all know about Entombed. One of the most important metal bands to have emerged from Sweden, the band defined and developed the “Stockholm” death metal sound by bringing together their hardcore punk influences with new ideas from the US and UK’s fledgling death metal scenes. We know this – it has been documented in countless interviews, retold in hundreds of magazine articles and even in a few books. So instead of repeating the story for the umpteenth time, I’m going to tell you why I don’t like this album.” Wait, what??

Entombed A.D. – Back to the Front Review

Entombed A.D. – Back to the Front Review

Entombed is the All-Father of Swedish death metal and their Left Hand Path album stands like a black obelisk at the epicenter on the genre map, guiding all pilgrims onward to the next musical waypoint. Although only their first two albums were true death and they morphed into something like death rock on subsequent outings, the oversized legacy of their formative years looms ever large. Their last full length release was 2007s Serpent Saints and since then they’ve been embroiled in internal strife and various litigations. As a result, the faction of the band led by vocalist L.G. Petrov have adopted the moniker of Entombed A.D.” New name, some of the same guys, but can they recapture their mojo? Pray for mojo.

Blood Mortized – The Demon, the Angel, the Disease Review

Blood Mortized – The Demon, the Angel, the Disease Review

“No matter how over saturated or played out a musical genre may become, there are always one or two bands that can make it all vibrant, fresh and new again. Whether it’s their raw conviction, enthusiasm or killer song writing, those bands make the years melt away and remind you how it felt to hear the style for the very first time. That rush of excitement, feeling of awe and the sense of being there at the next step in metal’s evolution, that’s what it’s all about! When it comes to classic Swedish death metal, Blood Mortized is THAT band for me.” Stand back! Steel has been waiting for this one with baited breath and now he’s on it like beast at a beast emporium.

Entrails – Raging Death Review

Entrails – Raging Death Review

“In the retro Swedish death sweepstakes, you can’t get much more committed than Sweden’s Entrails. Having been around in one form or another since the original wave of Swede death, they weren’t able to release anything until 2010s Tales From the Morgue. While I went quite gorilla shit over that platter and its 110% pure Entombed worshipping awesomeness, I was let down by their The Tomb Awaits follow-up, which seemed watered down and lacking in the raw charm of its predecessor.” Can Entrails recapture the glory of their (of more accurately, Entombed’s) debut? Does anyone even care that they changed their logo?

Blood Mortized – The Key to a Black Heart Review

Blood Mortized – The Key to a Black Heart Review

Just in time to wash away the bitter taste of Six Feet Under, comes this ridiculously sick death metal masterstroke by Blood Mortized. Taking the vicious old school Swedish death sound from their Bestial EP and improving on it in every way, The Key to a Black Heart is exactly what you want from the style and death metal in general.