I cannot think of a better example of a beaten dead horse in the Extreme Metal scene than Swedish Death Metal, which will be referred to as Swedeath. The chainsaw guitar tone HM-2, made famous by such acts in the 90s as Dismember and Entombed, seems to be present everywhere in the 2020s after a boom in the mid to late 2010s. Today’s chainsaw-wielding warriors are purists Feral and the grindier, more interesting Crawl on this 4 song split. Two rare bands not having association with the ever prolific Rogga Johansson, this split is meant as a bridge between future respective full lengths set to be released at an as of yet unknown date. How does this split fare then? Are these blades sharp, or is more work at the whetstone required?
Let’s start off with Feral. Swedeath through and through, Feral represent a facet of this style of Death Metal that worships at the altar of Dismember with zealous purity: they do not deviate from writing riffs in the same style released over 30 years ago. Are Feral’s two songs fun? Not really. I’ve heard better, newer versions of similar material released by bands such as Demonical, Vanhelgd, and Brutally Deceased. It’s definitely competent, being no-frills Swedeath, but this style just does not have enough staying power to make me crave this specific band when there are other, better bands doing similar material. Crawl, on the other hand, shows promise.
This brand of Swedeath is a lot meaner, crustier, and has some teeth to it. More in tune with bands like Birdflesh, LIK, and Rotten Sound, Crawl plays a brand of vicious Death Metal with hints of Grindcore thrown in for good measure. Their two songs, while short, pack enough of a punch that makes me look forward to whenever their album releases, probably in 2024. “Where the Dead Flesh Whispers” is a perfect example of Swedeath I would like to hear more of, and if Crawl continue in this same Crust-meets-Grinding Death Metal vein for their upcoming album, it will be a worthwhile release. Feral, on the other hand, should abandon the purity and embrace the grind, or at least throw in other elements to make their sound stand out among the endless multitude of Swedeath bands.
