Despite it being the year 2011, over 20 years since revolutionary albums like "Left Hand Path," "Dark Recollections" and "Like An Ever Flowing Stream" were gracefully sent from the gods, the Swedish death metal scene is as strong as ever. Along with the old bands still going, there are a crop of new bands still proudly waving the flag of the masterful art that is Swedish death metal. Some bands want to stand out a bit by adding more crust or thrash elements to the traditional Swedeath sound, a la Bastard Priest and Tribulation. Some bands want a more savage and brutal sound, like Morbus Chron. And then there is Entrails. A band who plays their death metal like it's 1990 all over again. There is nothing ground breaking or genre-changing on their sophomore effort "The Tomb Awaits," but there is some great metal that should not be cast aside for a second.
The "traditional" Swedeath formula of HM-2 pedal + D-Beat is present throughout this record, and there's no real better way to write music in this style then that. The tone on "The Tomb Awaits" is devastating. Each monstrous chord slams the listener like a tsunami and when the pace picks up, fists will fly and heads will bang. The absence of blast beats on this record is not hampering at all, in fact it's very beneficial. When Entrails decides to break away from the mid-paced madness and get in touch with their inner Slayer, the music is extremely tight and concise without any sloppiness. "Undead" and "End of All Existence" are perfect examples of how Entrails' use of tempo changes without blast beats makes for a raging good time.
Along with the earth shattering riffs, there are also some marvelous melodic sections to be found. Entrails manages to use melodies without taking things too far, basically meaning the music could not be confused with a Gothenburg band rather than a Stockholm band. The melodies are used very tastefully and suit the music perfectly. The melodic section in the song "Undead" blends beautifully with the heavy riffs behind it. In addition to the melodies, the solos found throughout this album are equally impressive. It almost seems as if the guitarists are channeling David Blomquist (Dismember) through their own guitars.
At the end of the day, Entrails has delivered a great death metal album that is definitely worth getting your hands on. The best tracks here are "Crawling Death," "Undead" and "End of All Existence."
Be sure to check out Entrails on Facebook and like their page!
Final Rating - 4.2/5 or 84%.
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