Death Metal Double Post: Tribulation & Swallowed

Artist: Tribulation
Album: Putrid Rebirth 7"
Release: 2006
Label: Blood Harvest

Tracklist:

1. Dread City Of Death
2. Zombie Holocaust
3. Imprisoned In Abhorrence
4. Churning Sea Of Absu

Tribulation are tied with Norway’s awesome Obliteration as my favorite band of the ever-increasing scene of young metalfolk jamming oldschool death metal.  Their debut full-length The Horror mixed an olde-time horror aesthetic (woodcuts, Nosferatu imagery) with brief spacing tracks John Carpenter keyboard and a perfectly-executed style mixing influences both Swedish (Entombed, Dismember) and American (Morbid Angel, Possessed, Slayer).  While I loved that record unwaveringly from my first listen, many a death metal purist (not least of which Arild and Sindre from Obliteration) swear this four-song, out-of-print, imfuckingpossible-to-find 7” EP is the superior record.

While far rawer and often less tight or nuanced than The Horror, Putrid Rebirth nonetheless starts with a bang. Adam Zaars and Jonathan Hultén’s tradeoff volley of disfigured solos shred flesh right from the opening of “Dread City of Death.” Yet another movie sample opens the undead march of  “Zombie Holocaust” as Johannes Andersson rasps a narration of the tale, then tears off a totally sweet bass break just shy of three minutes in.  “Imprisoned in Abhorrence” cranks up the blast beats further still and adds Slayerish riffing over the top.  The steady, swirling menace of instrumental “Churning Sea of Absu” does indeed feel like stormy seas.  While these songs aren’t as well-constructed as those on The Horror, their energy is what manages to knock this EP out of the park.  Tribulation go straight for the throat on every song; it’s just that here we haven’t seen them with a perfected attack.

And yes, apologies-- while a vinyl rip, this is sadly 128 kbps.  But this is really raw death metal!  I had a kvlt-as-hell contact track it down for me, but if you have a better rip somewhere by all means let us know so’s we can post it for communal benefit.

Download Here

-Asa

Artist: Swallowed

Album: Self Titled 7"
Release: 2011
Label: Emptiness Production

Tracklist:

1. Unsavorably

2. Black Phlegm

3. The Dying Misted In The Bloodstream

I already included this in my top records of 2010 list, but I can't rave enough about this band or this 7". Swallowed is one of the finest, younger Scandinavian oldschool-style death metal bands I've heard in a long time and are one of Finland's finest. Seriously, the image on the back art of the 7" makes the band look like they're still in high school. Maybe they are, I wouldn't be surprised.

I was shown all of their music at once by my friend CJ and I can say the band has come a long way from its beginnings (two demo tapes) of pure Autopsy-worship. Don't get me wrong, those tapes are pretty neat but don't offer much more than the aforementioned dick-riding, but this 7" takes that blueprint and injects it with a healthy dose (read: not too much) of doom metal to create something stunning and fresh. This new sound coupled with one of the best production jobs I've heard in a long time allows the band to create a foreboding atmosphere that is unsettling and insanely loud. Despite the repetition involved on the side-long, "The Dying Misted In The Bloodstream," the production and atmosphere are still able to keep the song afloat. If the band continues to create sound as beautifully crafted as this, all while tightening their songwriting a bit, they will surely be deified.

For those who don't own this 7", you'll have to do with this vinyl rip, but I urge you to seek out a copy of this out-of-print 7", as it sounds SO incredibly good on wax. Seriously, a great mastering job. That and the packaging (which includes a "Swalloweed" sticker lol) make this a total winner.

Download Here

-Adam