Nightfly Swedish death death metal masters Vomitory called it a day in 2013, bowing out in fine style with the excellent Opus Mortis VIII released in 2011. In 2018 they announced their reformation and no doubt held up by covid-19, 2023 finally sees the release of their new album, All Heads Are Gonna Roll, with the same line up in tact as on the last few before the split.

Despite the 12 year gap, All Heads Are Gonna Roll could have been released the year after Opus Mortis VIII, such is the seamless continuity. They may not have reinvented the wheel but sometimes things stay the same for the better. That’s certainly the case here as what we get is 10 tracks of old school death metal, raw, fast and brutal as it usually is at its best. Their sound owes as much to the USA as their native Sweden, lacking that stereotype buzzsaw guitar sound in favour of something sharper but just as heavy, if not more so. The pace is relentless throughout with only the occasional pause for breath but the consistency of memorable riffs throughout makes this a winner. The in your face production certainly helps as does the great musicianship but without the strong hooks it could all wear thin pretty quickly. Thankfully that’s not the case as whilst Vomitory stick to their tried and trusted formula song after song they deliver the goods.

Despite some solid releases I was starting to think that 2023 wasn’t going to be one of the better years for death metal but in the space of a couple of weeks we’ve had this and Frozen Souls excellent second album so all is not lost yet. As things stand Vomitory have set the benchmark for others to aim for.