⛧
Left Hand Path (1990)
After the dissolution of Morbid, with Dead leaving for Norway to join Mayhem, L.G. Petrov and Uffe Cederlund formed Nihilist, joined by two more Swedes and some sort of mixed primate. After releasing a few demos, there seemed to be some trouble in the band and it was officially split up, mainly as a way to get rid of Johnny Dordevic, with the remaining members then going on to regroup as Entombed. Their first full-length album was recorded in December 1989, in Sunlight Studio, and released in June 1990. Titled Left Hand Path, this record is probably the most influential Swedish death metal album to ever be recorded, setting the stage for countless others to try to follow in the band's footsteps. While so many of them tried to attain the same level of success merely from imitating the guitar tone, they usually fell short when it came to songwriting.
Left Hand Path is often thought of as the best representation of the 'true' Entombed, though if one looks closely at their history it is clear that this was but a passing phase in their career. The Nihilist days showed signs of less-than-brutal influences, with some rather mild riffs and a strong punk influence. Some of this carried over as they wrote and recorded their first full-length, though this is certainly a pure death metal album that deserves to be placed alongside the likes of Scream Bloody Gore, Severed Survival, Slowly We Rot and so on. One of the most important things about this record is that Entombed realized that an atmosphere of horror and death was absolutely essential for this style of music. Rather than just being fast and intense and having no real point, there are a variety of tempo changes with slower sections that are designed to add a sense of gloom to everything. The title track is a great example of this, despite the fact that the best part of the song is built around the Phantasm theme. It might seem cheesy to some, but it was pulled off really well and served as a perfect fusion between horror movies and death metal. The vocals really suit the music as well, as L.G. almost sounds like some sort of creature that just crawled out of a grave. Unlike so many other vocalists that were just trying to go as deep as they could, adding nothing to the music, this guy really seemed to understand how to use his voice to best compliment the song. This is really clear during the slower parts, as he takes on more of a morbid tone. These sections do well to add a sense of doom and darkness to the album, something that was already being lost on most American death metal bands, while also showing these guys to be quite dynamic. Those bands weren't even able to keep up with Entombed in terms of speed either, as most of their fast riffs were bland and interchangeable. On Left Hand Path, the faster moments are truly hellish and chaotic, yet played with precision. The lead solos are well executed and actually help the songs along, rather than being meaningless noise thrown in almost out of obligation. The drumming has almost a rabid quality, at times, going from the punk beats to all-out blast beats when needed. And, of course, the thundering percussion during the slower parts is done just right, with no unnecessary fills or showing off. From the morose riffs of "Left Hand Path" and "Drowned" to the vicious approach of "Revel in Flesh" and "Bitter Loss", this album is all over the place and yet everything is neatly tied together with the skull-splitting percussion and the crushingly heavy guitar riffs, occasionally accompanied by razor sharp melodies that tear you to pieces. The songwriting is solid and memorable, with no weaknesses regarding arrangement or even song placement. Aside from the title track, "But Life Goes On" may be the most memorable song on here, though each one is equally as strong.
Tomas Skogsberg and Sunlight Studios became quite popular after the release of this album and for good reason. It was too bad that so many bands were intent on trying to get a similar sound without putting the same kind of effort into the actual music. Left Hand Path features the debut of the well-known buzzsaw guitar tone that is associated with Swedish death metal and it was hardly ever done any better than on Entombed's debut album. The guitars really have a great balance of rawness and polish, being rough enough to really add some emphasis to the frenzied guitar riffs yet not being too abrasive. This works well so that, even when things slow down, the guitars sound just right and add a real sense of doom. The solos are mixed at a good level, standing out above the rest but not so much that they pierce your ears. All in all, this represents the absolute perfect sound for this type of music. It's just clear enough for everything to be heard well, while still retaining kind of a savage feeling.
Left Hand Path is worth every bit of praise that it has received over the years and is an essential album for anyone into Swedish death metal. Despite the hundreds of bands that tried, no one ever quite captured this same kind of sound and feeling. This goes along with the debut albums from Carnage and Dismember as the best to ever come out of this scene. If you don't yet own this, that is an oversight that you should correct with haste. This L.P. is from the days when death metal was still meant to invoke a sense of dread and horror, keeping in mind that a dark atmosphere of death was the most important thing. The music is played with passion and this is something that can be heard from the first listen. Unlike the work of many that followed them, there is no filler here. Everything from the flesh-tearing guitar riffs to the pounding drums and the corpse-like vocals comes together, perfectly, to create one of the true classics in death metal history.
Left Hand Path is often thought of as the best representation of the 'true' Entombed, though if one looks closely at their history it is clear that this was but a passing phase in their career. The Nihilist days showed signs of less-than-brutal influences, with some rather mild riffs and a strong punk influence. Some of this carried over as they wrote and recorded their first full-length, though this is certainly a pure death metal album that deserves to be placed alongside the likes of Scream Bloody Gore, Severed Survival, Slowly We Rot and so on. One of the most important things about this record is that Entombed realized that an atmosphere of horror and death was absolutely essential for this style of music. Rather than just being fast and intense and having no real point, there are a variety of tempo changes with slower sections that are designed to add a sense of gloom to everything. The title track is a great example of this, despite the fact that the best part of the song is built around the Phantasm theme. It might seem cheesy to some, but it was pulled off really well and served as a perfect fusion between horror movies and death metal. The vocals really suit the music as well, as L.G. almost sounds like some sort of creature that just crawled out of a grave. Unlike so many other vocalists that were just trying to go as deep as they could, adding nothing to the music, this guy really seemed to understand how to use his voice to best compliment the song. This is really clear during the slower parts, as he takes on more of a morbid tone. These sections do well to add a sense of doom and darkness to the album, something that was already being lost on most American death metal bands, while also showing these guys to be quite dynamic. Those bands weren't even able to keep up with Entombed in terms of speed either, as most of their fast riffs were bland and interchangeable. On Left Hand Path, the faster moments are truly hellish and chaotic, yet played with precision. The lead solos are well executed and actually help the songs along, rather than being meaningless noise thrown in almost out of obligation. The drumming has almost a rabid quality, at times, going from the punk beats to all-out blast beats when needed. And, of course, the thundering percussion during the slower parts is done just right, with no unnecessary fills or showing off. From the morose riffs of "Left Hand Path" and "Drowned" to the vicious approach of "Revel in Flesh" and "Bitter Loss", this album is all over the place and yet everything is neatly tied together with the skull-splitting percussion and the crushingly heavy guitar riffs, occasionally accompanied by razor sharp melodies that tear you to pieces. The songwriting is solid and memorable, with no weaknesses regarding arrangement or even song placement. Aside from the title track, "But Life Goes On" may be the most memorable song on here, though each one is equally as strong.
Tomas Skogsberg and Sunlight Studios became quite popular after the release of this album and for good reason. It was too bad that so many bands were intent on trying to get a similar sound without putting the same kind of effort into the actual music. Left Hand Path features the debut of the well-known buzzsaw guitar tone that is associated with Swedish death metal and it was hardly ever done any better than on Entombed's debut album. The guitars really have a great balance of rawness and polish, being rough enough to really add some emphasis to the frenzied guitar riffs yet not being too abrasive. This works well so that, even when things slow down, the guitars sound just right and add a real sense of doom. The solos are mixed at a good level, standing out above the rest but not so much that they pierce your ears. All in all, this represents the absolute perfect sound for this type of music. It's just clear enough for everything to be heard well, while still retaining kind of a savage feeling.
Left Hand Path is worth every bit of praise that it has received over the years and is an essential album for anyone into Swedish death metal. Despite the hundreds of bands that tried, no one ever quite captured this same kind of sound and feeling. This goes along with the debut albums from Carnage and Dismember as the best to ever come out of this scene. If you don't yet own this, that is an oversight that you should correct with haste. This L.P. is from the days when death metal was still meant to invoke a sense of dread and horror, keeping in mind that a dark atmosphere of death was the most important thing. The music is played with passion and this is something that can be heard from the first listen. Unlike the work of many that followed them, there is no filler here. Everything from the flesh-tearing guitar riffs to the pounding drums and the corpse-like vocals comes together, perfectly, to create one of the true classics in death metal history.
(4 Jan. 2013)
Crawl (1991)
Released in 1991, the three-song Crawl E.P. was rather pointless and demonstrated just how quickly a band could fall into obsolescence. Left Hand Path influenced many other bands to try and follow in Entombed's footsteps, to varying degrees of success. Unfortunately, the originators were unable to live up to their own potential and almost seemed to give up pretty early on. Swedish death metal moved on without them, well enough, though it's too bad that they ran out of steam so fast.
The first change one might notice is the absence of L.G. Petrov on vocals, as he had left the band after the first album. While they had not found a suitable replacement by the time of this recording, they enlisted the aid of Orvar Säfström, from Nirvana 2002. He may not have been as good as his predecessor, but his voice was far superior to the pathetic and lame Nicke Andersson, whose horrible vocals did so much to ruin the following album. It's a shame that this guy didn't stick around a bit longer, as it wasn't as if his primary band was going anywhere, anyway (they never even managed to record a single album). That said, Clandestine would have been trash no matter who handled the vocals, due to the poor songwriting and awful production.
As for the production on this E.P. it's not as clear and modern as their second album, but has already moved away from the classic sound on the debut. The re-recorded version of "Bitter Loss" is useful for comparison, but falls flat otherwise. Aside from the clarity, there is a strange hollowness, which doesn't do the material any favours. It's so odd that the band had the perfect sound for their style and began spoiling it right after. Again, Crawl doesn't sound as atrocious as Clandestine, but it's already a step in that direction.
Even if one is able to get beyond the production and new vocalist, neither of which are deal breakers in this case, the material just isn't strong enough to really justify the existence of this E.P. The re-recorded song is inferior to the original and the title track is mostly boring and possesses no atmosphere or feeling, at all. It's just there. By default, then, "Forsaken" is the best song on here. It's decent and worth a listen, I suppose, but it would have been mere filler had it appeared on Left Hand Path. Perhaps, they just needed more time to work on their songwriting, or maybe they're just one more of those bands that were into something for a short time, lost interest and decided to move on.
Crawl is an irrelevant release. While it may have pleased them, and less discerning listeners, it was a disappointment for anyone that became a fan after hearing Left Hand Path. All in all, a useless release from an obsolete band. By 1991, there were already several other Swedish bands doing the same thing Entombed had done, so if they couldn't keep up then they should have just gone away.
The first change one might notice is the absence of L.G. Petrov on vocals, as he had left the band after the first album. While they had not found a suitable replacement by the time of this recording, they enlisted the aid of Orvar Säfström, from Nirvana 2002. He may not have been as good as his predecessor, but his voice was far superior to the pathetic and lame Nicke Andersson, whose horrible vocals did so much to ruin the following album. It's a shame that this guy didn't stick around a bit longer, as it wasn't as if his primary band was going anywhere, anyway (they never even managed to record a single album). That said, Clandestine would have been trash no matter who handled the vocals, due to the poor songwriting and awful production.
As for the production on this E.P. it's not as clear and modern as their second album, but has already moved away from the classic sound on the debut. The re-recorded version of "Bitter Loss" is useful for comparison, but falls flat otherwise. Aside from the clarity, there is a strange hollowness, which doesn't do the material any favours. It's so odd that the band had the perfect sound for their style and began spoiling it right after. Again, Crawl doesn't sound as atrocious as Clandestine, but it's already a step in that direction.
Even if one is able to get beyond the production and new vocalist, neither of which are deal breakers in this case, the material just isn't strong enough to really justify the existence of this E.P. The re-recorded song is inferior to the original and the title track is mostly boring and possesses no atmosphere or feeling, at all. It's just there. By default, then, "Forsaken" is the best song on here. It's decent and worth a listen, I suppose, but it would have been mere filler had it appeared on Left Hand Path. Perhaps, they just needed more time to work on their songwriting, or maybe they're just one more of those bands that were into something for a short time, lost interest and decided to move on.
Crawl is an irrelevant release. While it may have pleased them, and less discerning listeners, it was a disappointment for anyone that became a fan after hearing Left Hand Path. All in all, a useless release from an obsolete band. By 1991, there were already several other Swedish bands doing the same thing Entombed had done, so if they couldn't keep up then they should have just gone away.
(8 Oct. 2013)
Clandestine (1991)
Released in November 1991, Clandestine is the sophomore effort from the former masters of Swedish death metal themselves, Entombed. Unfortunately, they held that title for but a short time, despite the massive influence of Left Hand Path. The reason being that their long-awaited follow-up turned out to be a pile of filth and a major disappointment.
There are several reasons why Clandestine fails to even hold a candle to its predecessor. First and foremost, the loss of L.G. left the vocal position in the incapable hands of Nicke Andersson. His voice is absolutely horrible and amateurish, ruining even the very best moments of this record. They could have picked out any random guy from a crowd and probably gotten a better voice. This is supposed to be death metal, and Nicke's pathetic hardcore shouting has no place here. Beyond this, the production is far too clear when compared to Left Hand Path. The sound is too open and the drums and vocals are both far too high in the mix. At some points, one has to wonder if it was indeed Tomas Skogsberg producing the album, or if Bob Rock took over those duties. The guitar tone is not as rough and powerful as it could have been, either. The constant use of samples within the songs is also annoying and reeks of modern stupidity.
As for the actual songwriting, there are some fairly decent riffs throughout the album, but most of the songs are pure trash. With a more appropriate production job and a more competent vocalist, this still would have been a disappointing record, very much below the standards set by Left Hand Path. Entombed clearly wanted to go against the grain in an effort to separate themselves from the many other bands in the scene that had used their first L.P. as a template for their own albums. The problem is that, instead of simply making better death metal, they opted to infuse the album with impure, lame influences. There is far too much groove and annoying breakdowns on here. Songs like "Living Dead", "Chaos Breed", "Severe Burns" and "Through the Collonades" are the only fairly passable songs on here and, again, they still suffer from the poor sound and the atrocious vocals.
Clandestine is not what one would have expected to come from such an influential band, especially right on the heels of an undisputed classic like Left Hand Path. Entombed is a sad example of a band really dropping the ball. Perhaps they really didn't have it in them to write another masterpiece of Swedish death metal, but it appears far more likely that their artistic choices were based on trying to be different rather than fulfilling their potential. As for this record, avoid it. Outside of the Nihilist material and their first album, this band is useless. If you want to hear the true successor to Left Hand Path, simply listen to Like an Ever Flowing Stream from Dismember. It absolutely murders the rubbish found on this pathetic album.
There are several reasons why Clandestine fails to even hold a candle to its predecessor. First and foremost, the loss of L.G. left the vocal position in the incapable hands of Nicke Andersson. His voice is absolutely horrible and amateurish, ruining even the very best moments of this record. They could have picked out any random guy from a crowd and probably gotten a better voice. This is supposed to be death metal, and Nicke's pathetic hardcore shouting has no place here. Beyond this, the production is far too clear when compared to Left Hand Path. The sound is too open and the drums and vocals are both far too high in the mix. At some points, one has to wonder if it was indeed Tomas Skogsberg producing the album, or if Bob Rock took over those duties. The guitar tone is not as rough and powerful as it could have been, either. The constant use of samples within the songs is also annoying and reeks of modern stupidity.
As for the actual songwriting, there are some fairly decent riffs throughout the album, but most of the songs are pure trash. With a more appropriate production job and a more competent vocalist, this still would have been a disappointing record, very much below the standards set by Left Hand Path. Entombed clearly wanted to go against the grain in an effort to separate themselves from the many other bands in the scene that had used their first L.P. as a template for their own albums. The problem is that, instead of simply making better death metal, they opted to infuse the album with impure, lame influences. There is far too much groove and annoying breakdowns on here. Songs like "Living Dead", "Chaos Breed", "Severe Burns" and "Through the Collonades" are the only fairly passable songs on here and, again, they still suffer from the poor sound and the atrocious vocals.
Clandestine is not what one would have expected to come from such an influential band, especially right on the heels of an undisputed classic like Left Hand Path. Entombed is a sad example of a band really dropping the ball. Perhaps they really didn't have it in them to write another masterpiece of Swedish death metal, but it appears far more likely that their artistic choices were based on trying to be different rather than fulfilling their potential. As for this record, avoid it. Outside of the Nihilist material and their first album, this band is useless. If you want to hear the true successor to Left Hand Path, simply listen to Like an Ever Flowing Stream from Dismember. It absolutely murders the rubbish found on this pathetic album.
(8 Feb. 2016)
Wolverine Blues (1993)
Entombed's third full-length, Wolverine Blues, is often looked at as the beginning of the end for this once-mighty Swedish death metal unit. It is on this record that they abandoned the pure death metal style, in favor of the so-called death 'n' roll sound. Oddly enough, this might have been necessary for them to remain relevant. Clandestine was such a rotten record that it might as well have never been recorded. Perhaps the band didn't have enough creativity to produce more albums that were in-line with their debut. There's another matter to consider: think of the sheer number of bands that had appeared, since the release of the first Entombed record. Several bands were in Stockholm, playing the same style that Entombed made famous and recording at the same studio, in an effort to achieve the same buzzsaw guitar sound. As with many artists who are mimicked to death, Entombed may have sought to distance themselves from the crowd.
I became aware of this album in an odd way, back in early 1994. Without the permission of the band, Earache Records made some deal with Marvel Comics to use the Wolverine character for the cover of the album, as well as advertisements. Being an avid reader of the Wolverine series, I took notice of this band that had his likeness on their album cover. The same was probably true for many other teenagers in the states, at least. Unfortunately for me, my first taste of Entombed came from a penpal of mine that included some tracks from this album on a mix tape that she'd made. To this day, those are the only songs from Wolverine Blues that I can even listen to and it's likely only because of nostalgia for those times.
The title track is the best example of this new style and is decent enough so long as you're not at all expecting actual death metal. Worth noting is that this album featues the return of L.G. Petrov. Many thought his absence was the cause for the previous album turning out so poorly, but even his superior vocals couldn't have saved that horrid mess. He couldn't save this album, either, though his powerful voice is one of the better elements. Most of the material here is dull as hell. Aside from "Wolverine Blues" and "Hollowman", both off which were on that nostalgic mix tape of mine, I can only really tolerate "Eyemaster". It at least features some decent riffs that wouldn't have been entirely out of place on Left Hand Path. The rest of the album is mind-numbingly boring and features poor attempts at channeling the spirit of Motörhead, mixed with the usual '90s groove garbage that is one of the worst things to ever plague metal.
In the end, Wolverine Blues is garbage. This band clearly spent all of their good ideas during the Nihilist days and lost their talent after Left Hand Path. It's ridiculous how quickly these guys peaked and then crashed, only recording one good album. After such a classic, one would have thought them capable of at least a couple more decent records, but they proved everyone wrong and made a career out of pumping out one trash album after another. I wouldn't recommend this album unless you find it in the $1 bin and, even then, I'd suggest that you negotiate the price down to a quarter at most.
I became aware of this album in an odd way, back in early 1994. Without the permission of the band, Earache Records made some deal with Marvel Comics to use the Wolverine character for the cover of the album, as well as advertisements. Being an avid reader of the Wolverine series, I took notice of this band that had his likeness on their album cover. The same was probably true for many other teenagers in the states, at least. Unfortunately for me, my first taste of Entombed came from a penpal of mine that included some tracks from this album on a mix tape that she'd made. To this day, those are the only songs from Wolverine Blues that I can even listen to and it's likely only because of nostalgia for those times.
The title track is the best example of this new style and is decent enough so long as you're not at all expecting actual death metal. Worth noting is that this album featues the return of L.G. Petrov. Many thought his absence was the cause for the previous album turning out so poorly, but even his superior vocals couldn't have saved that horrid mess. He couldn't save this album, either, though his powerful voice is one of the better elements. Most of the material here is dull as hell. Aside from "Wolverine Blues" and "Hollowman", both off which were on that nostalgic mix tape of mine, I can only really tolerate "Eyemaster". It at least features some decent riffs that wouldn't have been entirely out of place on Left Hand Path. The rest of the album is mind-numbingly boring and features poor attempts at channeling the spirit of Motörhead, mixed with the usual '90s groove garbage that is one of the worst things to ever plague metal.
In the end, Wolverine Blues is garbage. This band clearly spent all of their good ideas during the Nihilist days and lost their talent after Left Hand Path. It's ridiculous how quickly these guys peaked and then crashed, only recording one good album. After such a classic, one would have thought them capable of at least a couple more decent records, but they proved everyone wrong and made a career out of pumping out one trash album after another. I wouldn't recommend this album unless you find it in the $1 bin and, even then, I'd suggest that you negotiate the price down to a quarter at most.
(2 Aug. 2009)
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