Death metal doesn't have to be anything other than what it is. Originality counts for zilch. It is an elemental music, like blues or bluegrass. All you have to do is keep pumping out those thick, meaty riffs, churn up some throat shredding growls, throw in a few blast beats or 10 thousand, and you have the basic ingredients.
Demonical stick to the basic formula and deliver the goods with conviction and devilish glee. This is old school Swedish death at it's finest. The guitars are a buzz-sawed delight, and the band is tight and grooving. Actual, Entombed and Dismember never had so many good mid-tempo grooves, skins-man Ronnie Bergerståhl clearly driving this tank straight to hell.
If any criticism is due, it is for the lack of memorable 'songs', (you know, those things with a verse and chorus) or compositions. Nothing really stands out as a whole, this album being about the little moments(!), a deft drum fill here, a sick lead there. It all adds up, as this is music is meant for pure headbanging and pit slamming.
And, as a bonus, Emperors 'Night of the Graveless Souls' is covered, the complex chord work simplified into Swedish death, the only real experiment on the album. The weird dissonant, ambient riffing is almost lost in the thick buzzsaw, but it's still there, for what its worth. It's a strange experiment for band that takes pride in it's traditionalism and craftsmenship, but it's worthwhile, as is the album as a whole.
Rating: 8 out of 10
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