Entrails - Tales From the Morgue (2010) [F.D.A.] // Grade: A+

Sometimes it takes a while for a band to get their footing. That’s the case with the Swedish death metal band Entrails. After playing numerous shows and releasing two demos, they finally put out a full-length. Sure, that may not sound like a huge deal but when you take into account that Entrails have been around since 1991 it begins to solidify. Seriously? Almost 20 years of playing and never putting out a full-length? If that doesn’t add some background to the band’s story then I don’t know what will.

In the golden age of death metal, a few bands stuck through the trends and the horrid Göteborg sound I harp on so much here. Entrails is one of those bands and Tales From the Morgue marks this slightly nostalgic throwback in stone. Great songwriting, classicly-compressed riffs and tons of great sound clips will have your feet tapping at your desk. If you can make it through the first track “Intro – Tales From The Morgue”, you’re in for a long ride! Taking older tracks from previous demos and re-recording them in a legitimate sound studio gives the album some extra life. It’s over 20 years in the making for chrissake! “Blood Red” sold me on the album and it’s the first song. Amazing lyrics and composing that took the classic death metal sound and made it into a legitimate genre. No gimmicks just jams.

Want a bit of a pick-me-up? “Voices” are there for you. Kicking it into high gear and offering up another dose of death. “Voices tell me what to say and do”. Sing it man. More distortion and more chaos is on the way with “Breath Of Blood” and “Entrails” with the latter offering up a blast beat clusterfuck right off the bat. Here’s where you can notice the transition between the old and new songs. “Stormy Death” and “Euthanasia” are well-composed and show a great deal of growth in the band’s songwriting. “Euthanasia” has one of the sickest intros I’ve heard to date in any death metal album. This is the shit nightmares are made of. Slowing it down a bit and opening up the circle pit is “Evil Obsession” which is once again offset by a somber intro into “Triumph Of The Sinners”. That’s one of the key moves that the band has mastered: breathing room. There’s a chance to digest it all, even if it’s force-fed to you in vomit-inducing gulps.

Like all good things, Tales From the Morgue must be laid to rest. But they’re not putting you under without a few choice cuts and chops to your sternum. “The Morgue” is easily one of the most sincerely powerful tracks on the album. The story telling and terror that goes into the lyrics is comical in some demented and overly-serious way. Want something a little easier to fade away to? “The Curse Of Death” is there, ending the album with a slow and serious intro, followed immediately by perfect percussions and the vocals that I’ve become obsessed, or possessed with rather. Everyone’s on the “old school death metal” kick as of late, but few deliver like Entrails. With almost two decades of decapitation under their belt, these Swedes mean business. Step into the morgue, if you dare! Tales From the Morgue is a must-have.

- Prolly