Days 5 and 6! Shipwreck from shadowheartart and Entrails from helenagaifem (both on Twitch).

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@streamink_official
www.twitch.tv/shadowheartart
www.twitch.tv/helenagaifem

#streamink #streamink2025 #watercolour #gouache #shipwreck #underwater #entrails #anatomy #snake

Entrails – Grip of Ancient Evil Review

By Saunders

Rooted in the fertile graveyard turf of the Swedeath golden years, veterans Entrails occupy an interesting place in the revivalist old school Swedish death metal scene. Originally conceived in 1990 by sole original member Jimmy Lundqvist, the band lay dormant until Lundqvist resurrected the outfit with new bandmates in tow, unleashing a couple of long-gestating demos before eventually releasing their impressive debut Tales from the Morgue in 2010. Entrails started out strongly, backing up the debut with gnarled, grisly platters of throwback Swedeath goodness, courtesy of 2011’s The Tomb Awaits, and 2013’s Raging Death. A solid, if unremarkable holding pattern largely ensued during the intervening years, the band not dropping the ball, yet failing to rise to the loftier standards of their early work. Still, when done well, old school death of the Swedish variety is like metal comfort food, and these dudes are consistently reliable. Can eighth opus Grip of Ancient Evil shake off the rust and reinvigorate Entrails to their potent glory days?

Listeners should not expect any drastic reinvention or innovation from these meat & taters brawlers. Influences are tattered and worn, as Grip of Ancient Evil sets the buzzsawing tone early in the piece, essentially a modern continuation of the classic Swedeath sound inspired by scene legends, Grave, Dismember and Entombed. Entrails’ steadfast dedication to their old timey craft has served them well; however, the dreaded Law of Diminishing Returns threatens to derail their reliable track record deep into their career. After an unnecessary though obligatory scene-setting opener, “Untreatable Decay” kicks the album in proper. The song forms the blueprint of the Entrails sound, unleashing thunderous rhythms, tasty leads, and HM-2 armored riffage to bludgeoning effect.

Chunky tones are on point, riffs suitably beefy, while the mix of tempo shifts, thumping grooves, and requisite spooky, horror-themed atmospheres cast a familiar shadow across the album. New vocalist Julian Bellenox (Nazghor, Morphetik) fits the part, providing an authoritatively punchy rhythmic point of difference. His hoarse, throaty growls lend a brutal edge and thickness to the already meaty material. Otherwise, it is largely business as usual in the Entrails camp. The album’s darker, nastier vibes, infectious hooks, and more direct, punchy attack breathe welcome life into this long-standing, rotting entity. Grip of Ancient Evil features many of the expected traits of the classic Swedeath style; however, Entrails sound reinvigorated and urgent. Aptly titled “Skin ’em All” rips you a new one, relentlessly tearing through thrashy soundscapes, headbangable grooves, and gruesome, Bloodbath-esque terrain. Other noteworthy prime cuts include the doom-laden, dynamic shifts and anthemic hooks of “Hunt in the Shadows,” rugged, leaden riffage and punishing grooves on “Fed to the Dead,” and thrashing, urgent pummel of “Wings of Death.”

Not everything is safe and predictable. Barnstorming closer “Consumed by Insects” shifts surprisingly into a brief acoustic break, an odd though refreshing twist. Meanwhile, guest vocalist Per “Hellbutcher” Gustavsson (Friends of Hell, Nifelheim) lends a feral, blackened edge to the brooding “Inner Demon.” Performances are dependably solid from a line-up that remains fairly steady amongst the regular line-up upheavals plaguing the band. Bellenox is a refreshing addition, while band leader Lundqvist remains the pivotal focal point and songwriting chief, unleashing an extra beefy collection of buzzsaw riffs and some genuinely catchy death metal anthems. Packing a hefty wallop, the boisterous rhythms of Arvid Borg (drums) and Benjamin Andersson (bass) form a sturdy rhythmic backbone, coupled with a dynamic, crisp, though appropriately burly production, A solidly engaging listen, featuring a handful of cut above tunes, Grip of Ancient Evil remains a relatively safe listen, a step up from the previous album, but unable to match the band’s superior early work. Meanwhile, extra grime to dirty up their rather sanitary sound profile may have created a rustier edge and grittier sound.

Locking tightly into the confines of their established sound, Entrails refuse to budge from their old school ethos. While a predictability permeates each release, Grip of Ancient Evil features a little more pep and energy, ravenous hooks, and chunky, brutal edge to please longtime listeners and potentially reel in some new devotees. Nothing mind-blowing here, but Entrails reaffirm their status as an endearing, reliable force in the nostalgic old school Swedeath market, with an addictive, bone-crushing collection of grisly gems.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Hammerheart Records
Websites: entrails666.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/entrails666
Releases Worldwide: July 18th, 2025

#2025 #30 #Bloodbath #DeathMetal #Dismember #Entrails #FriendsOfHell #Grave #GripOfAncientEvil #HammerheartRecords #Morphetik #Nazghor #Nifelheim #OldSchoolDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #SwedishMetal

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#BraveWords–WhereMusicLives
Sweden’s ENTRAILS Release New Track “Skin ‘Em All”; Official Audio

https://bravewords.com/news/swedens-entrails-release-new-track-skin-em-all-official-audio/

#Entrails #SkinEmAll #Sweden #HammerheartRecords #GripOfAncientEvil #BlackDeath #Metal #July2025 #Bravewords #StudioAlbum

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#BraveWords–WhereMusicLives
Sweden’s ENTRAILS Release New Track “Untreatable Decay”; Official Audio

https://bravewords.com/news/swedens-entrails-release-new-track-untreatable-decay-official-audio/

#Entrails #UntreatableDecay #Sweden #HammerheartRecords #GripOfAncientEvil #BlackDeath #Metal #News #StudioAlbum #July2025

Demnächst: #Entrails veröffentlicht am 18.07. „Grip Of Ancient Evil“.

🔗 https://gloomr.de/#1548

#HammerheartRecords #NeuesAlbum

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ENTRAILS Announce New Album Grip Of Ancient Evil, First Single “Wings Of Death” Streaming Now

https://bravewords.com/news/entrails-announce-new-album-grip-of-ancient-evil-first-single-wings-of-death-streaming-now/

#Entrails #GripOfAncientEvil #WingsOfDeath #HammerheartRecords #SwedishDeathMetal #JimmyLundqvist #NetherlandsDeathfest #ObsceneExtremeFestival #KillTownDeathFest #Hellfest

Amputate – Abysmal Ascent Review

By Steel Druhm

Written By: Nameless_N00b_85

The indiscernible line between inspiration and imitation plagues writers, musicians, and artists of all stripes. While the Wormeds and Ulcerates of the world continue to ask what it means to be death metal in a modern context, entire scenes have sprung forth to celebrate the sound of the olde and trve, with the name of the game being “bigger and better” rather than raw in innovation. Swiss band Amputate finds themselves in the latter camp, poised to uncork a letter to the old school in the form of third album Abysmal Ascent. Their sophomore made its way through these very halls, with Doom et Al describing their efforts as “recycled.” This description poses an ironic challenge to this reviewer as we dive in to see whether Amputate has forged something with their own identity. Or, whether I must strive to not copy and paste my great predecessor’s review and be done with it.

The biggest improvement Abysmal Ascent offers is the production. In an about-face from the overly clean and blandly polished Dawn of Annihilation, Amputate have opted for an older, more direct approach. All guitars are recorded straight from their amps, and vocals have minimal effects, making the entire project sound pleasingly raw and organic, like a discount Vomitory or Gorement. This helps Amputate’s more chunky moments where their HM-2 flags fly highest (“Abysmal Ascent”, “Sepulcro”), with vocalist Tom Kuzmic doing his best “We have Erik Rundqvist (Vomitory) at home” approach. His growls, never going beyond competent in their extremity, are clearly piped straight from voice to recording, adding a layer of appreciability in their organic presentation. The DR of 7 allows bouncy, harmonized leads to shine (“Cavernous Temple of the Absurd”) as well as add thunk to the occasional bass solo (“Malevolent Manifestation”). Everything is catchy, deliberately designed, and inoffensive.

Inoffensive, however, best summarizes the whole of Abysmal Ascent. Amputate stretches a reasonable runtime of 39 minutes into a bland sheet of beige-colored audio that seems never-ending in its haze of riffs. The solos are enjoyable, melodic, and well-executed, and also enter the ears and leave the mind as soon as the song concludes (“Extractive Monolith”, “I Am Genocide”). It is telling that instrumental “Hybrid Organism” is the most interesting song on the album—not because of any weakness of the vocals, but because it forces Amputate to stretch their songwriting wings just a little bit. Otherwise, their insistence to adhere to the spirit of OSDM is their undoing, as each song sounds carefully constructed to sound like a facet of greater bands before them. From the crowd-friendly chorus of “I Am Genocide” to the last gasp of energy in sub-two minute closer “Perpetuum,” all of Abysmal Ascent gives off “good local band energy.” You’re sure they’re destined for big things one day, but also ready for them to get off the stage.

This is disappointing because the members of Amputate are no slouches in their individual performances. Nuno Santos and Kuzmic do plenty of tinkering, working with 12/4 time signatures (“Malevolent Manifestation”), speedy tech-adjacent licks (“Sepulcro”,) and good old-fashioned Swedeath sustained chords (“Abysmal Ascent”, “Extractive Monolith”). It is in these slower moments that the band has the smallest whiff of an identity, as the heavier chords allow solos and leads to have a tad more impact. These moments are fleeting, however, and even the most memorable of these—for my money, the chorus of the title track—washes away in the hustle and bustle of blandness by whatever track follows. Abysmal Ascent is an album of excellent ingredients, deliberately concocted into a fine-sounding tribute to better bands before them. And not one of the generous number of listens I’ve given this album has unearthed anything approaching memorability, identity, or repeat play value.

Ultimately, Abysmal Ascent is an etch-a-sketch of an album, each song shaking and erasing the one preceding it, leaving the listener empty and unmoved. It’s clear that Amputate has ambition and passion; what they don’t have are the riffs. They lack the ball-crushing groove of Gatecreeper, the sinister atmosphere of Frozen Soul, the rabid bloodthirst of Vomitory, or the unique melody of Tomb Mold. Instead, they slot neatly in with the Entrailses and the Beheadeds of the world—bland and offensively inoffensive, nothing more. An album with a filthier production, a greater emphasis on songwriting, and developing a sense of identity for themselves would do wonders for their admitted performance capabilities, but discerning lovers of the old school should look elsewhere.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Massacre Records
Website: facebook.com/amputateofficial
Releases Worldwide: October 11th, 2024

#20 #2024 #AbysmalAscent #Amputate #Beheaded #DeathMetal #Entrails #Gorement #MassacreRecords #Oct24 #Review #Reviews #SwissMetal #Vomitory