The Pestilent Plague

In the 1990s, numerous death metal bands came out the Scandinavian countries. Some of those Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish outfits didn't stay together very long, while some of them were still together when the 21st century arrived. Sweden's In Aeternum was formed in 1992, and the band was still together in 2000, the year in which The Pestilent Plague was recorded. This CD is stereotypical death metal: amelodic, mercilessly fast, and full of morbid lyrics about death, violence, extreme suffering, Satanism, and the occult. Song titles like "Demon Possession," "Wolves Blood," "Torture Chamber," and "Revelation of Hell" are exactly the sort of titles one expects from a death metal release. Nothing terribly distinctive or original is heard, and the tunes are derivative. Nonetheless, this is an album that some diehard death metal enthusiasts will find to be likable and exhilarating, despite its obvious limitations. ~ Alex Henderson