Grave Fiendish Regression
Century Media Records September 7th, 2004
By Jason Jordan
September 7th, 2004 is evidently vintage death metal day, with new releases from Grave and Unleashed poised to grace the airwaves. The former have certainly had an illustrious career, and most fans were glad to see them return from their six-year hiatus. 2002s Back from the Grave was not a spectacular comeback by any means, but 2004s Fiendish Regression is a step in the right direction for these Swedish death gods.
Overall, this release sees the group picking up the pace, in turn shying away sometimes from the slow, sludginess that riddled some of their past efforts. Opening track Last Journey would have you believe differently as it trudges to the five-minute mark. The latter was a poor choice for the first track, because it presents nothing extraordinary or remotely interesting. Reborn follows and successfully elevates both the speed and credibility of the album. Here were entertained by first-timer Pelle Ekegrens adept drumming, which contributes to the excellency of the main riff. Awakening slows us down again due to the trancelike rhythms of the guitar and drums. Infectiousness hits about the three-minute mark when the song becomes more driving, while a complimentary lead accompanies. Breeder commences exquisitely with one of the finest riffs on the record. Still, the guys have crafted a death metal album that retains a somewhat raw feeling to it; at the same time, though, it feels highly polished and inexplicably controlled.
As I mentioned earlier, Fiendish Regression isnt going to conquer any of Graves former brilliance, but it should be considered a worthwhile release from the godfathers of death. And, this album does trump their past few studio releases. Now its time for them to rise above the monotonousness that pervades their efforts from time-to-time.
7.5/10
Official Grave website
Official Century Media Records website
Century Media Records September 7th, 2004
By Jason Jordan
September 7th, 2004 is evidently vintage death metal day, with new releases from Grave and Unleashed poised to grace the airwaves. The former have certainly had an illustrious career, and most fans were glad to see them return from their six-year hiatus. 2002s Back from the Grave was not a spectacular comeback by any means, but 2004s Fiendish Regression is a step in the right direction for these Swedish death gods.
Overall, this release sees the group picking up the pace, in turn shying away sometimes from the slow, sludginess that riddled some of their past efforts. Opening track Last Journey would have you believe differently as it trudges to the five-minute mark. The latter was a poor choice for the first track, because it presents nothing extraordinary or remotely interesting. Reborn follows and successfully elevates both the speed and credibility of the album. Here were entertained by first-timer Pelle Ekegrens adept drumming, which contributes to the excellency of the main riff. Awakening slows us down again due to the trancelike rhythms of the guitar and drums. Infectiousness hits about the three-minute mark when the song becomes more driving, while a complimentary lead accompanies. Breeder commences exquisitely with one of the finest riffs on the record. Still, the guys have crafted a death metal album that retains a somewhat raw feeling to it; at the same time, though, it feels highly polished and inexplicably controlled.
As I mentioned earlier, Fiendish Regression isnt going to conquer any of Graves former brilliance, but it should be considered a worthwhile release from the godfathers of death. And, this album does trump their past few studio releases. Now its time for them to rise above the monotonousness that pervades their efforts from time-to-time.
7.5/10
Official Grave website
Official Century Media Records website
