Fast, furious death metal complete with vocals that sound like a zombie with a hole in the trachea; Swedish death merchants TRIBULATION deliver it all perfectly. There's a down-right eerie feeling exhibited in the relationship between creepy intros and severe death thrash pummeling. The background scream in the middle of "Beyond The Horror" and the keyboard outro of black thrasher "The Vampyre" made the hair on the nape of my neck stand upright. The tight, crunching guitars are reminiscent of classic KREATOR and SLAYER with abundant tasty lead guitar and rapid thumping double bass. "Seduced by the Smell of Rotten Flesh" best demonstates the band's precise skill with breakneck changes: The tempo sometimes deceptively slows down before hurtling the listener back into a frenzy of neck-snapping bliss.
Apparently there have been a handful of demos / EPs from this band over the last eight years, leading me to the conclusion that TRIBULATION have obviouly spent some worthwhile time honing their craft. They've come up with an album that beats the listener into submission like a lead pipe to the head.
4/5
