Asteni

Sadistic Grimness, hailing from Sweden, is certainly a force to reckon with! With their aggressive, violent yet creepy blend of Black and Death Metal, they manage to produce some of the best tunes from the nowadays' Sweden. And while "Vicious Torture" was a great warmer for the band, "Asteni" is a true manifestation of their violent talent and skills!

First of all, "Asteni" certainly differs a lot from what they released before. But it's not a bad thing at all! I'd label this as Blackened Death Metal, associations would be Arkhon Infaustus, Vorkreist and, perhaps, Autopsy. Raw yet clean sound, riffs delivered with violent perfection, fantastic drumming and sick vocals! You can easily hear every note, but the production still retains some Old School quality to it, resulting in anhonest underground feeling to the whole product. Grim melodies, sometimes reminding of the band's somewhat Black Metal past, are perfectly combined with overall Death Metal approach, and it certainly brings Arkhon Infaustus in mind sometimes. But it is just an association, the band still has it's own sound and direction. Yes, sometimes it is very DARK, I mean really DARK and even creepy. It's like your blood freezes under your skin and millions of chills run down your spine. It is amazing. Standout tracks for me would be "Razormania" and "Spiritual Serenity". Starting with an eerie industrial sample, "Razormania" features some of the darkest riffs here! Great vocals, great lyrics and great composition make this song a perfect taster for the whole album. Myself I really enjoy the samples of razors clashing right before the chorus starts, it adds a lot to this song. "Spiritual Serenity" features a variety of tempos, from very slow to violent blastbeats, and what I would certainly note here - is clean and audible bass. What is more, it sounds downright amazing, making it essential here, which is very rare today.

Overall, I'd recommend this album to those, who enjoy abovementioned Arkhon Infaustus, Vorkreist and Autopsy, as well as Old School Death Metal (Asphyx, Pentacle, early Malevolent Creation and Dead Congregation) & today's Swedish Extreme Scene in general (like Repugnant and Kaamos). Also, I'd like to note, that this band features members of such bands, as Diabolicum and Kill, among others. This CD is certainly worth purchasing, you won't be disappointed. Definitely a killer album!