UMUR "But Life Goes On" is the first and only demo release by Swedish death metal act Entombed. The demo was independently released in September 1989, although it was also released through CBR Records. Entombed formed in 1987 as Brainwarp, but soon changed their name and worked under the Nihilist monicker from 1987-1989, after which they shortly split-up and reformed the band (minus bassist Johnny Hedlund) now using the Entombed name. An American band had already taken the Nihilist name, and the remaining members of the band had become increasingly dissatisfied with bassist Johnny Hedlund, and as they didn´t have the courage to fire him, they simply split-up Nihilist (as mentioned above another band had also already taken the Nihilist name, so a name change would have been necessary anyway) and formed Entombed instead without Hedlund. "But Life Goes On" was recorded only a month after the last Nihilist demo ("Drowned" from August 1989) was released.

Recorded at Sunlight Studio with Tomas Skogsberg the material on "But Life Goes On" now features what most people would recognise as the classic late 80s/early 90s Swedish death metal sound. It´s a brutal, meaty, and buzzsaw guitar tone, and heavy power drums. The music is both fast-paced and energetic, but also on occasion heavy and doomy. Lead vocalist L.G. Petrov has a deep growling but still intelligible vocal style. Two of the three tracks from the demo would be re-recorded and included on Entombed´s debut full-length studio album "Left Hand Path" from June 1990.

The Nihilist demos put the band on the map, and both "Only Shreds Remain" (1989) and "Drowned" (1989) sold 3.000 copies each, which in itself is an incredible achievement, but "But Life Goes On" was the last piece of the puzzle which Earache Records needed to sign Entombed. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

Tupan Riffs, riffs everywhere!

One of the creators of the death'n'roll subgenre (the kind of music I need to listen more), Entombed shows in this Morning Star why they were the masters of their game. In this album one can listen an almost perfect blend of death, thrash and stoner/doom metal, with exciting riffs, great production and the awesome vocals of the late Lars Göran Petrov. I just can imagine now how these songs would sound alive - and I am not talking about seeing mere live videos!

I don't know what the long term fans thinks about Morning Star, but for me it's a class A album with no fillers. It helps the facts it's short, the listener will always return to this release wanting more. I can't recommend enough!

SilentScream213 Good god. Death Metal was born in the late 80’s, but most of that stuff isn’t a huge leap away from extreme Thrash and Black metal of the same decade. Even the albums that had broken from carrying clear Thrash influence still sound like a genre in development. This beast sounds like it could have been released yesterday.

Entombed took one step back and two forward. They slowed down a bit, and instead of trying to outdo their peers with technical prowess or blistering intensity, dug themselves a grave and adopted a truly sepulchral sound. Insanely downtuned guitars with a sludgy buzz sound like they’re cutting through a murky swamp, while the rhythm section lays tight and varying beats that pound at a steady mid-tempo (by extreme metal standards). The vocals are the deepest growls laid to record by 1990, and there is a very cold, grave atmosphere that runs somewhat contrary to the genre’s roots in hellfire. The blue cover could play into this as much as the band’s icy homeland – but this is unmistakably the closest to true, cold death that Death Metal had ever gotten at the time

Triceratopsoil If "Uprising" is Entombed's tribute to Motorhead, "Morning Star" is the greatest Slayer album that never was - just a nonstop, crushingly heavy, relentless, thrashy and sludgy metal masterpiece that still manages to be head-banging groovy.

The vocals and instruments are both heavier and harsher than the several previous album. Lyrics on the surface sound like boilerplate anti-Christian (not atypical in death metal), but lots of them are really just movie quotes. The rhythms are tight and chugging, crisp snappy drumming, spirited raw vocals, ripping guitar solos - Morning Star has a lot to offer, and is possibly the best release from this consistently great band.

Favourite tracks: Chief Rebel Angel, I for and Eye, Year One Now, Fractures, City of Ghosts, About to Die

Triceratopsoil Entombed does Motorhead-

Stockholm band Entombed is mostly famous for two things - popularizing the Boss HM-2 "chainsaw" guitar tone, and pathfinding the unfortunately nicknamed "death-n-roll" style of music. Uprising is an album that has both those trademarks. Where it differs from Entombed's other offerings is in catchiness. The grind is all there, but the riffs have a toe-tapping 70s hard rock characteristic to them. The vocals are harsh, but not death metal growls. It's an album that would be hard to place in time if you didn't know better... and yet in a sense it is far heavier than most anything from the 70s and 80s. Truly worth a listen for the open minded metalhead. Great gym music, by the way, with far better production value than their earlier studio albums.

Favourite tracks: Seeing Red, Won't Back Down, Something out of Nothing