So after doing Grave, it would seem natural to do another one of Sweden’s Big 4 of Death Metal and so I thought I’d take a look at one of my other favorites which would be Entombed. They are absolutely badass and their later albums would be described as death n roll. So let’s take a look……
Left Hand Path- right off the bat we have a guy screaming right before we get right into that buzz saw guitar sound. See that’s the thing that makes these guys sound different from so many death metal bands is that buzz saw sounds from the guitars which largely has to do with the BOSS HM-2 pedal. But I’m getting off topic here. The album itself is an absolute masterpiece and I highly recommend listening to it especially if you are getting into Swedish death metal. The songs are fast, brutal and just awesome. I give it 10/10 an absolute classic.
Standouts: Left Hand Path, Revel In Flesh, But Life Goes On
Clandestine- so for this one, original vocalist LG Petrov has been replaced with vocalist Robert Andersson which is strange for a replacement to happen after the first album but ok. Anyway, this one again continues in that same buzz saw sound as the first album. Robert’s vocals are a little cleaner here but he does a fantastic job for the entire album which is also another classic. Vocally, I actually kind of prefer this one to Left Hand Path. Both vocalists sound very similar. I give this one another 10/10
Standouts: Living Dead, Chaos Breed, Sinners Bleed
Hollowman- now I didn’t usually review EPs but this one is an exception. I actually think it’s a great companion to Wolverine Blues. Even though it came before and you’ll most likely listen to Wolverine Blues before this, it’s still worth listening to. It does contain a couple of songs that are on here and not on the future self titled release. The song Bonehouse is badass and the song Hellraiser is really cool because it is basically clips from the movie with Entombed music playing along with it and even the song Wolverine Blues is different. Definitely worth your time. I give it 10/10
Standouts: Wolverine Blues, Hellraiser, Bonehouse
Wolverine Blues- so LG is now back in the band and this to me is the quintessential Entombed album. Not only was this my first time hearing a Entombed but this is also my favorite album by them as well. I mean every song is great and you’ve got to hear the Full Dynamic Range Edition to really appreciate this one. What’s cool about this is that when this record came out, the X-Men cartoon was big and the record label decided to include a mini comic with the CD booklet about Wolverine. It’s badass and you should check it out if you are able to. A perfect 10/10
Standouts: Eye Master, Full of Hell, Out of Hand
Entombed- this is just a collection of songs from various EP’s over the last couple years. It also has a couple of non released songs and at the end of the last song, there is a really short hidden track. Not much else to say but it’s definitely worth listening to. I give it 9/10
Standouts: Black Breath, Out of Hand, Stranger Aeons
DCLXVI: To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth- ok so if you are looking for Wolverine part 2 look elsewhere because this one is different. For this they decided to ditch the death metal and hardcore sound and instead go for a more stoner rock/garage rock sound here. This is the first album to feature Jörgen Sandström on bass who was the vocalist on the first three Grave albums. I honestly think they just wanted to try something new and different and they definitely got that here. Here’s a fun fact, the title track was used in Tony Hawk’s Underground video game. While this one is different, it’s a really good album and is worth checking out. No it’s bit as strong as Wolverine or Clandestine but I am going to give it 8/10
Standouts: Like This With The Devil, To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth, They
Same Difference- so here we see them moving in a more rock meets punk direction. I had read that this one is their weakest but honestly, I actually really like this album. It’s got that garage punk sound and feel to it and it’s a really cool record. No it’s not a death metal record but this one definitely should not be skipped. I don’t know it is a little hit or miss but as a whole it’s great. Not a first one to start if you’re just getting into this band. I give it 8/10
Standouts: Addiction King, The Supreme Good, Smart Aleck
Uprising- This album ditches the previous sound and has a sound more reminiscent of albums like Wolverine Blues. This is where they go back to their death n roll sound only this time the songs seem more focused and the production is really good. I remember seeing the music video for Seeing Red rddd
Standouts: Seeing Red, Say it in Slugs, Won’t Back Down
Morning Star- now I read that this one was their most experimental album but I think it’s more of a continuation of the last album. The songs are definitely in more of a death metal record with a hint of thrash mixed in. I remember when I first heard it, I thought this was just ok but now I think it’s a lot better. Are there songs I’d leave off? Of course but overall it’s a really good album. I give it 8/10
Standouts: Chief Rebel Angel, I For an Eye, About to Die
Inferno- the vocals on here are seem different than the last couple of albums. They seem grittier than usual and it has almost an early 90’s feel to it yet it continues in the same tradition of death n roll. Anyway, I feel like this one gets overlooked by death metal purists which is too bad because it’s actually pretty good. The songs have that early Entombed feel to them. Another fantastic record with only a small amount of filler. I give it 8/10
Standouts: The Fix Is In, Incinerator, Descent Into Inferno
Serpent Saints: The Ten Amendments- so up until now, the death n roll sound was dominant on their previous releases. This one is a straight forward death metal record. This is also the first album to not have longtime guitar player Uffe Cedurlund. If I had to compare it to other albums, it has a sort of Left Hand Path/Clandestine feel to it. Not a bad record overall with some filler. I give it 8/10
Standouts: When in Sodom, Masters of Death, In the Blood
In 2014, there must’ve been some sort of falling out because original guitarist Alex Hellid split with the rest of the band and held on to the Entombed name. He reformed the band with original member Uffe Cederlund and Orvar Säfström (who sang on the Crawl EP) and kept made a live album of Clandestine. Vocalist LG Petrov took the rest of the band and formed Entombed A.D. so in 2014, we get…..
Back to the Front- this is another album I listened to all the time when I was over in Europe. I think at the time I was excited for new Entombed but overall, it’s just an ok album. I’d like to hear faster songs on it but it’s not terrible. I do miss Alex Hellid’s playing though but it’s an ok album. I give it 7/10
Standouts: Bedlam Attack, Second to None, Waiting for Death
Dead By Dawn- here we now hear some of their traditional death n roll elements. I feel like with the last album, they were new and trying to find their sound but here now the songs are more cohesive and dialed in. Definitely a step up from the last album. I give it 8/10
Standouts: Down To Mars To Ride, Dead Dawn, The Winner Has Lost
Bowels of Earth- ok so now we are definitely back to death metal here. This one feels more like a death metal album and less like a death n roll album. It’s a good album and hopefully is an indication of things to come with future releases. It would seem like they wanted to go back to the sound of say Left Hand Path and Uprising. I give it 9/10
Standouts: Elimination, Fit For A King, Worlds Apart
It’s really too bad they couldn’t solve their differences and continue as Entombed but the bright side is that now we get two versions of the band. It’d be nice if Entombed would release something new but one can hope. If you have never heard or heard of these guys, definitely check them out. Give both versions a listen to because they do have a lot of great albums even there are a couple odd ones in the bunch.
Final Grade: A+
Album Rankings:
- Wolverine Blues
- Clandestine
- Hollowman
- Uprising
- Left Hand Path
- Entombed
- Same Difference
- DCLXVI: To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak The Truth
- Bowels of Earth
- Morning Star
- Inferno
- Dead By Dawn
- Serpant Saints: The Ten Amendments
- Back to the Front
Sinister Reviews 