New slaughterhouse from Ribspreader!
Accompanied by Håkan Stuvemark (lead guitar, Consumption, Wombbath, Leper Colony…) and Jon Rudin (drums, Dead Sun, Heads for the Dead, Leper Colony, Just Before Dawn…), Rogga Johansson (vocals/guitar/bass, Dead Sun, Massacre, Megascavenger, Paganizer, Revolting…) unveils the eleventh album from his project signed to XTreem Music.
As with everything he touches, Rogga continues to develop Ribspreader into a macabre Old School Death Metal band that seeks neither technicality nor extremity, but rather catchy riffs, judging by the accelerations of the first track, As Gods Devour. The roars are as ferocious as ever, but there is a slightly more melodic approach on The Pig in You, highlighting the Swedish roots as much as the effective staccato passages. The opposite is true for Cold Dead World, which clearly displays an almost majestic regularity contrasted by visceral vocals, while Massgrave Madness develops slower and more imposing passages to complement the band’s cruising speed, which also allows for bursts of energy. The solo on Rotten Soil Serenade is surprising, as the track initially seems to be a headbanging catalyst, then Punish You takes over, accelerating and letting its virulent roots express themselves. Harmonics return to haunt the track, as they do on As Corpses Cry, making them almost disturbing and haunting before the pace slows down for an agonizing finale that leads to Feeder Bleeder and its rather dark martial touch. The end of the album is marked by Deadhunter and its disturbing introduction, followed by a small burst of energy, but also by screeching leads that make the sound abrasive and therefore less accessible than it has always been.
If you had any doubts: Rogga hasn’t lost his touch. He and his bandmates have given Ribspreader a handful of effective riffs to make As Gods Devour a half-hour of (im)pure Death Metal, just as we expected.
80/100
