Back From The Grave

Following a six-year hiatus, Swedish metallers Grave return with the aptly titled Back From the Grave, a blisteringly heavy slab of strafing death metal aggression that instantly obliterates any notions that the band has mellowed in their time off. Starting off with a pair of brilliant, crunching death marches ("Rise" and "Behold the Flames"), Back From the Grave generally follows that stomping, mid-tempo pace for the duration of the record. The songs are concise, with minimal guitar solo breaks, no gratuitous forays into high speed, and drummer Jensa Paulsson, in particular, showing remarkable restraint and economy for a death metal drummer. The recording is clean and mostly straightforward, with a few effectively placed studio enhancements to keep things interesting; the group's rumbling bottom end, meanwhile, is mixed with an emphasis on sizzling high end. The lack of tempo variation does cause the album to become a bit repetitive after a point, but there is such a wealth of terrifically heavy riffs peppered throughout that it is ultimately satisfying. Includes a bonus disc of the band's rare demos Sick Disgust Eternal, Sexual Mutilation, and Anatomia Corporis Humani. ~ ~Andy Hinds