Album review: ENTRAILS – Resurrected From The Grave

November 22nd, 2014 by Yiannis

Metal Blade – Out Now.

Death Metal reached its commercial peak in the early 90s and, at that time, it was Sweden which became the epicentre of the said movement in the ‘old continent’, mainly due to the very existence of bands like Entombed, Dismember and Grave.

Founded at the very beginning of the said decade and indulging in a sound and style similar to that of the aforementioned legends, Lynneryd-based combo Entrails met the kind of criteria capable of providing them with world recognition but, for reasons beyond this author’s comprehension, the much-needed breakthrough never materialised.

It is twenty five years later that the Swedes came to the attention of a label like Metal Blade and it is with their support that they are finally able to release a collection containing their first two sought-off demos entitled “Resurrected From The Grave”.

I am pretty sure that the word ‘demo’ used in describing this product has already caused a few doubts in your mind as per whether “Resurrected From The Grave” is the right kind of album for you.

Well, before you unnecessarily predispose yourselves negatively towards this eighteen track release let me inform you that what we have here are proper professionally-made re-recordings of the material included in the band’s first two demos.

Actually if you are a fan of bands like Entombed you will love the dirty sounded, heavily distorted groovy riffs that exist in abundance here while Jocke Svensson’s death growls ought to appeal to every fan of decent old-school sounding Death Metal.

It is true that the material on offer can hardly be described as original sounding these days but what one ought to remember is that at the time when these songs were first recorded they were ‘fresh from the oven’ so to speak and that is one very important point to make.

The first eleven tracks, those that were originally incorporated in the “Reborn” demo, may be fairly predictable in nature but they do, however, also contain the most exciting material that this collection has to offer.

“Evil Obsession” is a mid-tempo head-banging tune that could easily find its place in either of the first two Entombed releases while the groovy beats and flamboyant leads of “Your Dead Dog Smile” are second to none.

Sandwiched between the decent but average-sounding “Voices” and “Stormy Death”, “Triumph Of The Sinners” is perhaps the most cleverly arranged composition of the whole album and together with the fast-paced “Entrails” constitute the finest moments of the “Reborn” demo.

It is very interesting to observe that, though released on the very same year as “Reborn”, the seven compositions that put together the “Human Decay” demo are less diverse and flamboyant in comparison.

Having said that, the average Death Metal fan will most certainly appreciate the mid-tempo head banging riffs of “Euthanasia” as well as the fast paced themes of the short but fairly enjoyable same-titled “Human Decay”, leaving the groove-laden melodies of Casket Garden” to wrap up things in proper fashion.

With a new studio album only a few months away, “Resurrected From The Grave” should be seen as an opportunity to explore a period in a life of a very interesting and somewhat underrated band rather than an exercise in nostalgia.

Furthermore, what these eighteen compositions on offer prove, without doubt, is that the members of Entrails have the knowledge and the ability to create some really killer tunes, something that we will all hopefully experience when their next studio album is finally released.

Good and honest-sounding Death Metal – how can anyone say no to that?

John Stefanis

Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5.0)

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