Fornever Laid to Rest

“Real strength never impairs beauty or harmony, but it often bestows it” (Herman Melville)

Seance are the rare Swedish death metal band that plays American-style death metal. They sound nothing like Entombed and everything like Deicide, Malevolent Creation and Monstrosity. You want to see Americans get beaten at their own game? This is the record for you. "Fornever Laid to Rest" is one of the most intense and underrated death metal albums ever made. It’s a difficult album to penetrate because everything here is so fluid and correct. There are no cheap gimmicks or easy hooks. The listener must prove themselves worthy against the endless barrage of perfection. This is serious music that must be approached on its own terms, a whole-album experience where individual songs don't need to stand out.

The genius is in the detail. Listen to those bloodcurdling, bastardised Slayer riffs (opening of “Reincarnage”, 2:40 of “Haunted”), which have always been surprisingly rare in real death metal. Listen to the juggernaut momentum generated by fast double-bass drums played under extended mid-paced sections (0:41 of "Who Will Not Be Dead"). Listen to the impeccable changes of speed when transitioning from slow to fast (e.g., 0:55 of “Sin”) or vice versa after a dead-stop. Don't forget the aura of supernatural malice, every riff on “Necronomicon” feels like an incantation, sucked into the vortex by diabolical powers.

The production is the best I’ve ever heard in death metal. Every layer shines and nothing gets crowded out. I looked up Berno Studio when writing this review. It's a proper studio for audiophiles (not just metalheads seeking a niche sound). The overall effect is devastating and timeless. Compare this album to the band’s unspectacular demo (“Levitised Spirit”) and see that this was money well spent.

"Fornever Laid to Rest" is the pinnacle of death metal craftsmanship and perhaps the first ‘modern’ death metal record. Surely there was nothing more potent than this in 1992 (more famous records like "Legion" sound constipated in comparison). It also sounds ahead of its time, with several later albums bearing striking similarities to its lithe and lethal sound (“De Profundis”, None So Vile", “Here in After”). Death metal masterpiece, no more no less.