Entrails is still going strong.
Since its rebirth in 2008, the Swedish band formed in 1990 has been regularly releasing high-quality albums, and once again, with the support of their label Hammerheart Records, Jimmy Lundqvist (guitar), Arvid Borg (drums), and Markus Svensson (guitar, Nuclear Salvation) present their new recruits, Benjamin Hjort Andersson (bass, Heretic Legion) and Julian Bellenox (vocals, Nazghor, Sanghrial), with their new album, Grip of Ancient Evil.
The band calls on Thomas von Wachenfeldt (Wombbath, Wachenfeldt, Hulkoff) on violin to give Grip Of Ancient Evil, its introduction, a rather soft melancholic touch, but the sound darkens before moving on to Untreatable Decay, where it becomes much more aggressive. The characteristic sound of the HM-2 resonates with rage, proving in no time that the band has kept its roots intact, even allowing itself some disturbing leads between two waves of violence, while Skin ‘Em All moves towards more unhealthy and disturbing tones without compromising its raw power. The track hits us almost continuously, especially on the chorus, before moving on to the playful Conquering the Unknown, which plays on its energetic roots, reflected in the solo, before slowing down again to give Hunt in the Shadows its initially rather heavy atmosphere, then reinforcing the unexpected acceleration with Old School overtones. More anguished harmonics appear on the choruses but also on the heavy central section before the new acceleration that leads to the finale and then to the catchy Fed to the Dead, which follows without pause and hits us with its groovy riffs. The majestic final is surprising but remains in line with the slightly softer oppression, contrasting with Wings Of Death, which races along at full speed and remains abrasive in tone with unifying choruses reinforced by backing vocals, then Graveyard Rising reveals a perfectly balanced rhythm. The bass/drum duo provides the perfect foundation for the vocalist and guitarists to express themselves while transcribing a palpable fury, then the band welcomes Per “Hellbutcher” Gustavsson (Hellbutcher, Nifelheim…) to reinforce the vocal section of the long Inner Demon, a composition that begins very slowly with very melodious leads. The vocals are much more macabre, and the orchestrations confirm this musical positioning before the final wave that leads to Insane Death, where the guitar offers haunting touches to complement a simple but catchy rhythm. The album is already reaching its final track, Consumed by Insects, where we obviously find the band’s violence, but also Matte Klang‘s acoustic guitar, which allows us to recover from our emotions between two vindictive and virulent waves, just the way we like them.
Entrails‘ regular releases are always top-notch for fans of Swedish Old-School Death Metal, and Grip of Ancient Evil is no exception! The riffs reek of blood and death, and the addition of guest musicians allows them to diversify their violence!
90/100
