ALBUM REVIEW: Entrails – An Eternal Time Of Decay

Swedish Death Metal veterans ENTRAILS are back with their 7th album, out via Hammerheart Records on June 24th.

A short introduction opens the album with a gloomy atmosphere that sets an appropriate tone for what lies ahead. The buzzing chainsaw tones of the classic Boss HM-2 riddled guitars burst into life atop mountainous drumming and blistering leads, instantly giving us the classic Swedeath assault as glorious as ever. Visceral vocal hooks deliver equal savagery to the instrumental onslaught and as a tight unit, it is easy to see why Entrails are one of the leading titans in preserving this niche but widely beloved corner of old school carnage. Rampaging d-beats and crushing riffs flow endlessly with chunky bass lines breaking the mix for ultimate devastation. While the vocals take a stand, they do not overshadow the primal ferocity of the instruments, rather aiding them into oblivion with no overindulgence placed on any single member of the band. The starting point of this record is one of feisty, old school and punishing Swedish Death Metal, the old school way.

There is a really unrelenting nature to this album, with hammering blast-beats never far away, nor a moment without an avalanche of chainsaw riffing. Clearly these guys have no less to offer several albums into their career. While “The Tomb Awaits” will likely always be my personal favourite, this isn’t their sole good output, in fact Entrails’ albums are all incredibly solid. Their unwavering faith in the 90s Stockholm sound is commendable and their role in keeping it going strong is massive. That is not to say this album lacks dynamics, with creeping pieces like “The Dead” that crawl in the dirt before more battery ensues. There may not be a huge range in emotion, this is an aggressively scathing record, you get exactly what Entrails always have and always will promise and deliver on. Punching in at a little over 45 minutes, this is a ruthless tome of carnage that is neither lacking nor tiresome, just a solid slab of rotten riffing and bludgeoning heaviness.

Entrails deliver another superb album of what they do best. There isn’t really much new, but the quality has not dipped either. If you want flesh-ripping Swedish Death Metal that has a monolithic production and vicious grooves in abundance, look no further.