By the time I notice the tag 'old
school Swedish death metal' attached to any new album out there, I
start losing my interest – not because I wouldn't generally like
it, but the scene has been flooding with revivalists who basically do
all things right and hence kick ass successfully, but they really
don't differ from each other in any way, and because of that the
albums are soon gathering dust in the piles of clones. Now that I've
been without any exposure to the subgenre for a few months,
Horrendous' debut album The Chills sound really damn good. And it is
not due to having such a lengthy break from all the clichés, but
because this record actually offers something refreshing. Oh, and
don't let me misguide you by stating this is Swedish, as the line-up
actually hails from the States.
While the first seconds into ”The
Womb” could have easily been placed on Left Hand Path, soon after
the same introductory melody turns into a sea of tremolo guitars and,
hands down, this is one of the sweetest riffs I've heard in its
category in a while! This lengthy highlight piece is followed by a
couple of more regular in-your-face Swedish blasts, namely ”Ripped
to Shreds” and ”Altars” that shows the band's prowess at
scathing violence via the use of the thick, suffocating guitar tone
charasteristic to the subgenre. The vocals are worth mentioning too,
as the deranged mid-level shrieks and groans fit perfectly in. ”The
Somber (Desolate Winds)” starts similarly as the two before it, but
in its end shifts into an epic, melodic climax. The latter half of
the album provides another bunch of noteworthy moments, such as the
overall menace on ”The Ritual”, the creepy keyboard ambient
interlude ”Sleep Sickness” and the nearly 9-minute ”The Eye of
Madness” that concludes the record in riffs that kind of reek of
ingenuity. As the length already suggest, you may expect some epic
breakdowns in the middle, this time even including some male chanting
– until all hell gets loose again.
The Chills is one of the best recent
old school death metal albums I've come across and that is thanks to
the band's ability to incorporate some sweet melodies (or just plain
riffs that have more originality in them than what you're used to
hear) into the mix which makes the music rememberable. Not catchy in
a mainstream manner, but the occasional slower and emotional (huh!)
sections help making the album a lot more digestable and endurable
than a downright blast fest of which you remember nothing afterwards.
Definitely a recommendable album and, deducing from all the other
praising reviews, I'm not the only one who thinks so.
4 / 5
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