Band: Bloodbath
Album: Grand Morbid Funeral
Genre: death metal
Year: 2014
Label: Peaceville Records
When a band changes their style, they often generate a very mixed reaction among their fanbase. Bloodbath are veterans in the modern death metal scene, and their fourth studio album sees the band changing things up a bit.
Grand Morbid Funeral is the embodiment of the old school death metal revival. The band conjures a swirling atmosphere of absolute Swedeath filth, paying homage to their predecessors (Entombed, Dismember, etc.) yet at the same time keeping it fresh. Each track is heavy-as-fuck yet offers up something unique.
The first two tracks set the stage (I'd call it a one-two punch). Chock full of dirty, thrashing riffs and crushing breakdowns, the band refuses to hold back their fury. "Anne" slows the tempo a bit with a gnarly, pinch harmonic-laden riff, and "Church of Vastitas" ventures into slow, churning doom territory. The mood is set perfectly for the riff-heavy beast "Famine of God's Word" (arguably Bloodbath's best song). The second half of the track is a chuggy breakdown overlaid with an ominous melody that builds in intensity until it finally erupts into a flurry of blast beats and shredding riffs.
In my opinion, the second half of the album is a little stale. "Mental Abortion," "His Infernal Necropsy," and "My Torturer" fail to stick; however, "Beyond Cremation" and "Unite In Pain" manage to berate the listener with catchy riffs. The title track closes the album with a slow funeral procession. The pure essence of death doom metal is conveyed through the crushing riffs and distorted, pained vocals.
The main point of contention among Bloodbath fans seems to be the band's new vocalist, Nick Holmes (Paradise Lost). I remember people complaining that he didn't fit the music, and his vocals sounded "weak." I could not disagree more! Old Nick fits the old school death style of this album perfectly. What kind of '90s Stockholm death worship would be complete without one of the old breed amongst their ranks? His vocals are powerful and nasty; a mixture of gloom and anger that melds well with the album's filthy production.
I highly recommend this album to anyone who enjoys old school death metal, particularly fans of the Stockholm sound as well as fans of early Asphyx. You can give Grand Morbid Funeral a listen on YouTube here.
Rating: 3.5 / 5
Top Tracks:
Famine of God's Word
Grand Morbid Funeral
Total Death Exhumed
Let the Stillborn Come to Me
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