Bloodbath "Resurrection Through Carnage" CD
[Century Media]
Finally a full-length from this death metal supergroup, and holy shit does it deliver! When you put Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth) on vocals, Anders Nyström (Katatonia, Diabolical Masquerade) on guitar, Jonas Renske (Katatonia, October Tide) on bass, and Dan Swanö (Nightingale, Edge of Sanity, etc.) on drums, you know you're in for a fucking treat. Especially when that treat is a shameless 10-track, 40+ minute ride through the land of classic Swedish death metal along the lines of Carnage, Entombed, and Dismember. Of course the sound is a bit crisper than it was back then, and there are a few riffs that have a ring more akin to what these guys are better known for, but for the most part it's raging and unrelenting death metal. Åkerfeldt's growls are more aggressive and generally deeper than usual, the guitar tone has tons of texture and really goes after that chugging Sunlight sound... this is just great stuff. The songs rip, and it's just a fun listen that really brings back memories. The production is pretty damn good. I've heard some people complain about the drum sound, but it doesn't really bother me. Yeah, the drums are rigid, but they have some punch, and the guitars are definitely the dominant element, so the drums are kept under control. The vocals rest right in with the guitars, and the bass is a little bit hard to make out, so there are some minor gaps between the drums and the rest of the music, but just barely. It's mainly due to the fact that the guitar tone is so over the top that it sort of caves in on itself a little bit and gets choppy... but in this case that's a good thing, because it just sounds fucking nuts, especially in headphones. Aside from the chosen typeface used throughout, the layout looks fucking awesome. Them artwork is incredible. It's all heavily textured and treated photos of the band members and various human body parts made to look dead and decaying, but it really does look fucking great. The font is really cheesy though, not to mentione incredibly hard on the eyes. It doesn't really matter because the lyrics for this stuff aren't really an issue ("Deteriorating, All my flesh and bone, Are ready to explode in a gush of red foam, Virulent infectious death-disease is spread, Rush of thoughts vanish as I die undead."), but nonetheless it would have looked better otherwise. Unless you're a true diehard that only wants to listen to "the classics", by all means check this one out if you're into the classic Swedish death metal sound. I'd put this one in line close behind "Dark Recollections", "Left Hand Path", and "Like an Everflowing Stream". Fuck yeah. (8/10)
Running time - 40:57, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: So You Die, The Soulcollector, Trail of Insects, Cry My Name]
Bloodbath - http://www.bloodbath.biz

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