Demonical
Death Infernal

Man! It’s been just a killer year as far as Swedish, Stockholm styled death metal is concerned! Not only do we have 2011 releases by the likes of Brutally Deceased, Revolting, Ribspreader, Miasmal, Feral, Morbus Chron and Undead Creep, but we’ve seen reissues from Furbowl, Toxaemia, Utumno, and Uncanny tooAlso, I’ve been going back and discovering other recent acts I’ve missed like Morbider, Winterwolf and Blood Mortized.  And…that’s all before the new Entrails drops later this summer! Phew!

Before we get that far, enter Sweden’s Demonical and their follow up to 2008’s Hellsworn. As you’d expect from a band featuring folks involved with the likes of Centinex, Grave, Diabolical and Interment, the bloodlines are strong and pure, as far as Stockholm styled death metal is concerned; awesome buzz saw guitar tone, pummeling, groovy riffs and throaty gruff vocals all delivered with conviction and just enough melody to keep it interesting.

Death Infernal basically follows along perfectly with the previous album and the debut–it’s a damn solid album and a perfectly implemented example of the genre, as honest and pure rendered as can be–but like some of the members’ other acts , namely Centinex and Diabolical, it’s just a shade under elite level, lacking a truly classic vibe or feel (a la Entrails).

But don’t get me wrong, fans of the genre (myself very much included) will lap up Death Infernal, as at times it simply kills. The killer moments are mostly on slower tracks where the guitar tone is allowed to breathe and swell with a burly mid-range buzz; “Return in Flesh”, “March For Victory”, “All Shall Perish” and “From Northern Shores”. I should probably mention, that if you’ve ever wanted to hear what Amon Amarth would sound like with a Sunlight buzz, just listen to “March for Victory” , “Slain Warriors” and “From “Northern Shores”. Tell me those aren’t (killer) Amon Amarth riffs (…and song titles for that matter.)

The rest of the album is fleshed out with more urgent blasts and rumbles  like “The Arrival of Armageddon”, “Black Inferno”,  “Ravenous”, ‘Through Hellfire” and “Darkness Awaits” which go for a more standard early Grave/Dismember sense of bristling but melodic  dynamic (especially “Darkness Awaits” which could have come from any of Dismember‘s last 3-4 albums).

As with the debut there’s a cover song, and as with the debut it’s an off the wall one (that one was Onslaught‘s “Death Metal”), this time being a cover of Emperor‘s “Night of the Graveless Souls”, which takes a few bars to recognize when rendered which such a beefy tone, and without the synths, but ends up being pretty damn cool.

While Death Infernal is another damn fine addition to the collection of Swedish death metal, and though Hellsworn actually came closer, I still keep waiting for Demonical to unleash something truly special.

 

 

 

[Visit the band's website]
Written by Erik T
August 17th, 2011

Comments

  1. Commented by: Staylow

    This album rules.


  2. Commented by: Nick Taxidermy

    Death metal Emperor cover? that’s actually pretty cool.


Leave a Reply

Privacy notice: When you submit a comment, your creditentials, message and IP address will be logged. A cookie will also be created on your browser with your chosen name and email, so that you do not need to type them again to post a new comment. All post and details will also go through an automatic spam check via Akismet's servers and need to be manually approved (so don't wonder about the delay). We purge our logs from your meta-data at frequent intervals.

  • Mammoth Grinder - Undying Spectral Resonance EP
  • Wretched Fate - Incineration of the Pious EP
  • Kaivs - After the Flesh
  • Witnesses - Joy
  • Mythbegotten - Tales from the Unseelie Court
  • Worm Shepherd - Hunger
  • Chained to the Dead - Only Hunger Remains EP
  • Entheos - An End to Everything EP
  • Trollwar - Tales From the Frozen Wastes EP
  • Gigan - Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus
  • Whispering Void - At the Sound of the Heart
  • Human Harvest - Void of the Vile
  • Defeated Sanity - Chronicles of Lunacy
  • A Scar For the Wicked - Acolythus
  • Sentient Horror - In Service of the Dead