Artist: Mr Death
Title: Descending Through Ashes
Type: Album
Label: Agonia Records

Sweden’s Mr Death has not been around for long but has a couple of ex-Tiamat and Treblinka members in their ranks displaying their version of old school death metal. When I first played this I initially thought my copy was knackered such is the monstrous bass sound that is in the mix. The guttural sound is head caving the moment “To Armageddon” starts. The sound and production are a little strange I guess but the music is no less old school for it, in fact the sound is a thick and dense amalgam of very early Entombed and Grave. The music is similar to their 2010 EP “Death Suits You” as this second album sees “The Plague And The World It Made” being redone for the album, complete with the juggernaut sludge section and intense double bass kick and fills.

The fuzzy sound is definitely weird but works to create a claustrophobic and dark album that is menacing and ugly in equal doses on “Come Winter”. The pulverising “Your Final Demise” starts with a sample before unleashing a tank battalion drum section and riff bombardment. A doom death atmosphere is felt on “Bloodfalls” with good cymbal work leading up to the veritable onslaught that unfolds as it speeds up. The grizzly bass work has gnarly funkiness to it when you listen to it carefully on “Another State Of Decay” with its buzz saw guitar sound that is crushingly effective. The emphasis with this whole album is being heavy without resorting to blasts especially on the title track which is just plain groove laden grotty deathliness from start to finish. With so many albums like this coming out recently I can firmly assure you this is head and shoulders above the oncoming tidal sludge of dirty old school death metal so check it out.

http://www.mrdeath.se

http://www.myspace.com/misterdeathsweden

Martin Harris

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