Entombed A.D.

Bowels Of Earth

Written by: RUB on 15/10/2019 14:08:21

I’m back at it again — this time to assess the return of Swedish death‘n’roll crew Entombed A.D., who are known for their crusty and gritty sound that dates back all the way to the late ‘80s and the original Entombed brand. The group is back with a new release called “Bowels of Earth”, to ensure that your neck stays sore from the relentless barrage of headbanging their music usually inspires. When the first singles dropped, it was already clear that their sound hadn’t changed. And why should it? Few, if any at all, do this genre better than this Stockholm-based outfit, and even though their 2016 release “Dead Dawn” was pretty mediocre, if not even straight-up forgettable, they seem now to be back in full force on their newest outing.

I’ll just put my cards on the table: after listening to the first track that premiered before the album was released — I believe it was “Fit For a King” — I was pretty certain this would be another mediocre affair, at best. But luckily, that song isn’t the best on offer here at all, and after several listens, I’m forced to tweak my initial conclusions; this is actually everything an Entombed (A.D.) fan could’ve hoped for. The large majority of the tracks are really good, and at the very least a massive step up from “Dead Dawn”. With the first track “Torment Remains”, the legendary man behind the pipes, L-G Petrov, underlines why his voice is so revered within the metal community. He’s easily recognizable and he sounds just as pissed off as ever. The music still has that nice death ‘n’ roll-vibe about it, shifting between uptempo and mosh-friendly rhythms, and slower, more headbangable beats. Next up, “Elimination” sees the tempo turned down a notch for a large part of the song, just to then be increased again with the first definitive album highlight, “Hell Is My Home”. Everything with this track simply screams Entombed A.D. to me: Its fast-paced tempo, blistering drums and — even though it might not be the most original — a riff that works so well with Petrov’s harsh yells, especially in the chorus, which is mixed with those trademark crusty melodies the band is renowned for.

It would seem like Entombed A.D. switch back and forth between the heavy, steadily-paced tracks, such as the title track (which has some sweet melodic elements working as a bridge between the last and the second to last part of the song), and the faster ones where you really feel the death’n’roll unfold — and this back-and-forth ensures that the album remains varied throughout. What all of the songs have in common, however, is that nice crusty vibe, which has them all sort of rolling along, as it were. This specific rhythm serves the purpose of being easy to bang your head to and, of course, drink beer to… which, if you know anything about Entombed, is very much encouraged (see the music video for the older track “The Winner Has Lost” for an example). Generally speaking, the second half of the album is slightly more so-and-so, with all the standout moments living in the first part. This shouldn’t stop you from checking out “Bowels of Earth”, however, as I’m reluctant to say I’m joyously surprised about how the album as a whole turned out. It isn’t groundbreaking and it doesn’t have any unique twist or turns, but the album does the job, and it contains some absolute bangers in its midst. So get moving, as Entombed A.D. are just about to embark on a lengthier “Hell Over Europe III” European tour with Aborted and the Danish death metal darlings BAEST, and they are sure to air several of these tracks.

Download: Hell Is My Home; Torment Remains; Bowels of Earth; Worlds Apart
For the fans of: BAEST, Black Breath, Dismember, Entombed, Firespawn, Grave
Listen: Facebook

Release date 30.08.2019
Century Media

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