Gravefeast

Underground music in the early 90’s will be remembered for the emergence of death metal. Unlikely scenes developed in Florida (United States) as well as Gothenburg and Stockholm (Sweden). Bands that emerged out of those scenes are still revered to this day. Born from the same Stockholm hotbed that brought us Entombed, Desolator has the promise to follow in those footsteps.

Founded in 2009, Desolator’s demo entitled Gravefeast is a throwback to Swedish death metal acts like Unleashed or Entombed. Playing the stripped down ‘Classic Swedish Style’ and utilizing the ‘buzz saw’ guitar sound, the high level of talent is apparent from the opening track.

The sound quality is decent for a demo recording which won’t inhibit the listener. The songs are short with only one track (Antimortem Autopsy) over the five minute mark. This keeps the music fresh and non repetitive.

Lyrically the band is solid. Songs like Gravefeast or Desolated prove the group can write the gore necessary to succeed. The only problem with the demo would be the overall lack of originality. The music found on tracks 1-4 come off as both bland and redundant. Boring vocals and un-inspirational guitar work give the listener a basic rehashing of Swedish death metal as it was executed nearly ten years ago.

Second Killing of Christ, gives us a glimpse of the bands true potential. Packed with thrashy riffs and death vomit vocals, this track takes the Swedish death metal style in a new direction. This simple structure allows the band to explore their own sound while evolving as individual musicians.

Antimortem Autopsy is a wicked death metal assault with an original ending allowing the demo to close on a positive note.

Desolator is a young group with potential. They are capable of original vocals and memorable riffs packaged within a classic song structure, offering the listener a new take on an old style. Hopefully they can build on this current demo and release an even more innovative follow up.

(Originally written for www.metalrecusants.wordpress.com)