J-Man
Despite being formed all the way back in 1991, Entrails haven't actually released any material until their resurrection in 2008. The Tomb Awaits is their second full-length outing, and the follow-up to the highly successful Tales From the Morgue album. Right off the bat, it's clear that Entrails were formed at the height of old school Swedish death metal - all of the downtuned riffs, filthy compositions, and evil atmospheres that characterized the scene are here in full-form, and Entrails obviously don't intend on re-inventing the wheel with The Tomb Awaits. This album is a glorified Entombed worship session without any question, but Entrails manages to deliver their old school death metal sound with such power and conviction that it's difficult not to be blown away. Fans of Entombed, Grave, Dismember, and Edge of Sanity should find plenty to love here!
The serene intro of the title track shouldn't have the listener fooled - after a brief (yet highly effective) acoustic guitar melody, this album is a pummeling death metal blast that seldom leaves any time to catch your breath. The Tomb Awaits just delivers killer riff after killer riff, and the insanely dark atmosphere (occasionally complimented by a haunting piano melody) sets up an uneasy feeling that's simply unbeatable. Entrails know how to make damn good Swedish death metal, and that's ultimately what makes The Tomb Awaits such an incredible release. The raw production (courtesy of none other than the legendary Dan Swanö) is also excellent.
Everything about The Tomb Awaits just reeks of quality, and it's hard to find many faults contained within an album this damn good. Maybe the Entombed cloning might turn off those looking for something new and original in their death metal, but that's honestly a big part of what makes this album so charming. The Tomb Awaits is one of the best death metal albums I've heard this year; fans of the Swedish old school variant better make sure they don't miss this fantastic effort. 4 stars are very well-deserved in this case, and I'll be keeping a close eye on where Entrails heads in the future.