WOMBBATH "Choirs of the Fallen"

WOMBBATH

“Choirs of the Fallen”

No secret that I’m a fan of prime Swedish death metal, but maybe that love affair is starting to wear off. It is at least as far as WOMBBATH is concerned. These guys were always second-tier, but capable of some quality  mayhem. They should have known when to quit. This is really faceless and crippled by a dreadful production job.

It’s time for Tomas Skogsberg, creator of the “Stockholm Chainsaw”, to retire, too. Wow, hard to believe the guy behind the classic “Left Hand Path” and “Like An Everflowing Stream” produced this nonsense. It has that grinding chainsaw sound, but like it was recorded in an empty gasoline can. Tinny, flat and hollow are just some of the words I’d use to describe this. And where is the bottom end​? Stuck in the same frozen tundra as the bass from early 90’s black metal.

As for the music, it technically ticks all the boxes for Swedish DM...fast, ultra-grinding, with traces of melody. It is not “wimpy” in any way. It just sounds like it came off an assembly line somewhere in Linkoping. It’s hard for me to associate song titles with riffs. When that happens, you know you’re in trouble.

If WOMBBATH is expecting “Choirs of the Fallen” to jump start their career 3o years or so after it started, they are in for a rude surprise here.

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WOMBBATH