ALBUM REVIEW: Feral – To Usurp The Thrones

Swedish Death Metal juggernauts Feral are back with their fourth album of brutality. Set for release via Transcending Obscurity Records on October 18th.

Pulverising guitars and drums rip into life, coating in the waves of moving teeth the chainsawing HM-2 pedal provides. Already a more eerie atmosphere and wider sense of dynamics comes into play as the first song blends the creepy with full bore animosity. David’s unique snarling vocals gouge through the mix while the guitars, bass and drums remain utterly ferocious. Those moments of lower chugs and tremolo-using barbarity blend together to create a visceral and mean distillation of old school Swedish Death Metal which is gloriously putrid. As a huge fan of their prior works, the six year wait since the last album (albeit with a killer split with Crawl in the interim) are proving worthy of the patience. Indeed the opening of this album is definitely as vicious as I had hoped.

Keeping the blistering energy, but mixing in some more mid-tempo hooks that take from the legends such as Carnage, Entombed, Autopsy and Grave; Feral have the early 90s feeling spewing from every orifice. As one of those bands who use the HM-2 as a tool, rather than to make up for a lack of ideas, Feral endlessly stream forth crushing riffs and hooks which will stomp your brain matter into putrescent fluids within no time at all. For me, the slower parts are where the bands strengths shine brightest. That said; the all out grinding warfare is equally well-executed. Overall the balance is something I am grateful for as we descend into the depths of the catacombs on this fetid recording.

Unafraid of catchy hooks, the mix of stampeding grooves, all-out onslaughts and crawling atmospherics is a balance the band hold triumphantly. Punching in over 45 minutes, or eleven songs, there is a demand for a bit more attention span than the usual in-and-out assault but Feral ensure they keep you on your toes throughout. I always enjoy it when a band strays from always playing in the mid-tempo region, as much as that pacing rules, just to give things a bit more flavour and sense of interesting songwriting. While it might not be the most original record of the year, if you love driven and merciless Swedish Death Metal, I struggle to see how you could not adore this slab of savagery. Passionate worship is just as valid of an art form in my books and these lads do a tremendous job, adding more quality bloodthirsty music to their formidable discography.

Feral continue to be one of the mightiest Swedish Death Metal bands. Taking their countrymen as influence, but adding a wider scope of traditional extremity, their unique blend of barbaric malevolence remains as violently bludgeoning as ever. The 90s spirit lives on in these Swedes who really get the nuances of playing this style and manage to keep it going strong. Feral are bound to the dead and spirits without rest come soaked in blood and stripped of flesh…

For more Feral related reading, check out my 2021 interview with them here.

For the more traditional Heavy Metal lovers who might find this a bit too extreme, check out David’s epic Mace ‘n’ Chain!