Entrails - Raging Death
“Old School Swedish Death Metal. For fans of Grave, Entombed, Dismember, and Unleashed.” Gee… thanks, Metal Blade. Is a review even necessary at this point? Sure, I should probably give you the skinny on whether Entrails’ third full-length is worth your time or not, but based on that description, you most likely already know or don’t care. Well, shame on you if it’s the latter. Yes, the NWOOSSDM thing has been done to (raging) death in recent years, but technically this Linneryd quartet aren’t new kids on the chopping block. They began in 1990, right when the movement’s first wave was about to catch absolute fire, but never released so much as a demo due to results the band deemed unsatisfactory. Since resurfacing in 2009, original guitarist Jimmy Lundqvist has been a man on a Metal mission. With a little help from his friends in Birdflesh —bassist/vocalist Jocke Svensson and drummer Adde Mitroulis (also of General Surgery) round out the new lineup nicely— he has made up for lost time with two demos, two full-lengths, a split with Ominous Crucifix, and now this, the band’s Metal Blade debut. That’s all well and fine, but do Lundqvist’s unearthed red dreams have anything new to offer the overcrowded Swedeath landscape two decades later? No… not really. But Raging Death does kick just enough ass to avoid the scrap heap. First off, it sounds terrific. I guess with Dan Swano handling the mix, that’s no surprise. Secondly, the band isn’t just another Entombed clone — at least not to the degree their logo would indicate. Of course there’s no shortage of Sunlit HM-2 homage, and the final 1:45 of album closer “The Cemetary Horrors” is plagiarism to the point of comedy, but many a melodic chorus feels more like Desultory than Dismember. There’s also a few nods to the Gothenburg scene and plenty of Crustastic D-beatdowns thrown in for good measure, but for the LP’s greatest treasure, look no further than “Death League.” Just an all-out Death Metal anthem for the ages, featuring guest growls from Swano, Rogga Johansson, Jorgen Sandstrom, and Kam Lee. Seriously, if that doesn’t give you a boner, you’re reading the wrong site. If ever one track was worth the price of admission alone, “Death League” is it. Nothing compensates for a lack of originality like a little star power. I don’t know if Entrails has what it takes to stand the test of time, but they’re sure as shit going to light my next mixtape the fuck up.
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