UMUR "Abominate" is the 3rd full-length studio album by Swedish death metal act Firespawn. The album was released through Century Media Records in June 2019. It´s the successor to "The Reprobate" from 2017. Firespawn is a project band featuring several rather prolific Swedish musicians in lead vocalist LG Petrov (Entombed/Entombed A.D.), guitarist Victor Brandt (Entombed/Entombed A.D.), guitarist Fredrik Folklare (Necrophobic, Unleashed), bassist Alex Friberg (Necrophobic), and drummer Matte Modin (Defleshed, Dark Funeral). There have been no lineup changes since the release of the band´s debut full-length studio album "Shadow Realms (2015)".

The material on "Abominate" is technically well played, brutal, and relatively catchy death metal. I´m predominantly reminded of Morbid Angel (and especially their slow- and mid-paced tracks/parts), but if I have to mention a contemporary act it would be the Danes in Baest. The two acts share a love for the early Florida and early Swedish death metal scenes and they don´t make it a secret in either the way they perform their music or the way they compose it. There are no contemporary tendencies here, no core screams, no hardcore influenced breakdowns, and only a tasteful atmospheric use of melody (Folklare is as always on fire and delivers some jaw-dropping moments along the way). This is in other words old school death metal to the bone.

The high level musicianship is one of the great assets of the album, and it´s a great joy listening to such skilled musicians performing. I´m not sure I´m 100% satisfied with the growling vocals by LG Petrov though. To my ears his vocals come off a bit one-dimensional and monotone, and I could have wished for a little more emotion and variation in that department. He gets the job done, but that´s about it. The material are as mentioned well written and relatively memorable, but a couple of more hooks and catchy moments wouldn´t have hurt, and although everything is delivered with spotless professionalism and the album is also packed in a powerful, clear, and detailed sounding production, I miss that last element to make the album reach a higher level. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is still deserved though.

Nightfly For what is essentially supposed to be a part time band (see my other Firespawn reviews for info on their day jobs), since releasing their debut album Shadow Realms in 2015 Firespawn have been pretty prolific and are already onto album number three. An album every couple of years is more than most full time bands seem to manage these days. There’s always that danger of inferior work getting released when bands release albums too quickly but there’s no sign of that here with Firespawn remaining consistently excellent since day one.

Abominate more or less follows the template laid down by their first two albums. That being more of an old school death metal style with a modern edge aided by a sharp production but thankfully not getting too far into that clinical sound that permeates many modern death metal releases these days. The standard of the songs is of an overall high standard with no shortage of crushingly heavy and inventive riffs from the two guitarists Victor Brandt and Fredrik Folkare, who also play some fine solos as well. The rhythm section of Matte Modin and Alex Friberg are incredibly tight and despite the speed of much of their playing also manage to inject plenty of groove into their patterns. Vocalist L G Petrov delivers the same guttural growl as on the first two albums which suits the style well even if can be a bit one-dimensional at times.

Overall then Firespawn have delivered the goods yet again with another excellent album putting many full time bands to shame. Hardly surprising though considering the extreme metal pedigree here. I’m now primed for album number four but before that hopefully another Unleashed album to follow the brilliant The Hunt For White Christ.

UMUR "The Reprobate" is the 2nd full-length studio album by Swedish death metal act Firespawn. The album was released through Century Media Records in April 2017. Firespawn is a project band featuring several rather prolific Swedish musicians in lead vocalist LG Petrov (Entombed/Entombed A.D.), guitarist Victor Brandt (Entombed/Entombed A.D.), guitarist Fredrik Folklare (Necrophobic, Unleashed), bassist Alex Friberg (Necrophobic), and drummer Matte Modin (Defleshed, Dark Funeral). There have been no lineup changes since the release of the band´s debut full-length studio album "Shadow Realms (2015)".

Stylistically "The Reprobate" is pretty much a continuation of the death metal style introduced on "Shadow Realms (2015)". It´s old school at it´s core, but it´s not too derivative of past glories. With LG Petrov helming the project (and Brandt on guitars) an Entombed influence is inevitable, but he is predominantly a bit more growling and brutal when singing for Firespawn than he is when singing for his main act (and unfortunately also a bit one-dimensional and monotone in his delivery). The instrumental part of the music generally doesn´t sound like any particular Swedish or foreign country death metal act, but it´s not the most original sounding death metal style either (the main riff on the title track for example loans heavily from Morbid Angel). While the music is varied enough with great rhythmic changes, powerful riffs, and great melodic lead guitar work, you probably won´t come away from the album feeling like you´ve heard something you haven´t listened to before.

It´s not a major issue though, and one of the main reasons for that is the high level musicianship. Considering the involved parties, that´s not a huge surprise, but it deserves to be mentioned that these guys are incredibly well playing and deliver their music with great passion and conviction. "The Reprobate" is well produced too, and upon conclusion it´s a good quality death metal release. It may not shake the foundation of the death metal genre, but it´s another proof of how great the Swedes generally are when it comes to playing the style. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

Nightfly Firespawn are a band, a death metal supergroup even, born from a desire to play more brutal and complex death metal than their day job bands. Vocalist L-G Petrov and guitarist Victor Brandt (Entombed A.D.), drummer Matte Modin (Defleshed), bassist Alex Friberg (Necrophobic) and guitarist Fredrik Folkare (Unleashed) to name just some of the bands these guys have played with. Back for their second outing, with the same line up as on their 2015 debut Shadow Realms, the Reprobate sees them consolidating the positive start made on their debut.

I remember Shadow Realms receiving mixed reviews at the time, though I greatly enjoyed its energy and strong collection of songs with intricate riffing and compelling hooks. The Reprobate whilst not exactly showing any changes in style and maintains (not surprisingly) the Swedish influences improves in the writing department delivering a collection of songs more brutal and technical than before. Not that this in itself makes them better but whilst Shadow Realms had plenty of killer riffs a few less memorable moments made for the occasional lull. Here though from opener Serpent Of The Ocean onwards the intensity rarely lets up, the band seemingly out to silence any naysayers of the debut. The playing is incendiary, the songs nearly always busy with some fantastic guitar work both rhythm and solos and Petrov’s vocals if anything are even more guttural. The rhythm section of Modin and Friberg lay a solid as a rock foundation though busy and complex as well when required. Best of all though a strong consistency is maintained throughout.

The Reprobate has many old school death metal traits but a sharp and modern production clearly mark it as an album of the times and one of the better death metal releases of the year so far. It wasn’t immediate though as the hooks took a few plays to come through as this is pretty busy stuff, so don’t give up on the first listen as this albums well worth quite a bit of your time.

UMUR "Shadow Realms" is the debut full-length studio album by Swedish death metal act Firespawn. The album was released through Century Media Records in November 2015. A teaser single in "Lucifer Has Spoken" was released in August 2015 to promote the release of the album. Firespawn is a project band featuring several rather prolific Swedish musicians in lead vocalist LG Petrov (Entombed/Entombed A.D.), guitarist Victor Brandt (Entombed/Entombed A.D.), guitarist Fredrik Folklare (Necrophobic, Unleashed), bassist Alex Friberg (Necrophobic), and drummer Matte Modin (Defleshed, Dark Funeral).

Stylistically the music on "Shadow Realms" is fairly standard Swedish death metal. There are old school traits in loads, but also other more contemporary elements like blast beats and rhythmic variation. There are quite a few nods towards Entombed, which is only natural as LG Petrov fronts the band and Victor Brandt is also involved, but the music on "Shadow Realms" is generally a bit more brutal and death metal oriented than contemporary Entombed. Petrov also sings darker and more guttural here, although his growling vocal style is still as distinct sounding as ever. Fredrik Folklare leaves his mark on the album too, delivering one well played and melodic guitar solo after another, and the rhythm section are very well playing too, which of course isn´t a surprise if you´re familiar with Friberg and Modin.

The material on the 11 track, 42:06 minutes long album is well written and relatively varied for the genre. Not all tracks stand out equally much, but the quality is high throughout. To my ears "Lucifer Has Spoken" is the most standout track on the album. The sound production is raw, powerful, and clear, which is a good fit for the music. So upon conclusion "Shadow Realms" is a solid quality effort by Firespawn. It lacks a bit in the originality department, but a 3.5 star (70%) rating is still well deserved.