Sentient Horror were destined for the buzzsaw. The death metal trio hails from Stockholm (New Jersey), but their sound is proper Swedish. Morbid Realms is their second LP and, like their forebears who hail from the ‘holm across the pond, the take the opportunity to really cement their legacy.
The album opens with a riff that recalls an early song from fellow revivalists Bloodbath. Sure, the 1-2-3-4 on Sentient Horror’s “Call of Ancient Gods” adds an extra number to the count in to “Ominous Blood Vomit” (and trades an extended screech for a grunt), but the immediacy and energy is the same. That continues throughout the album. More chugs open “Sworn to the Dead” and are overtaken by trem picking atop double bass before groovy riffing arrives. It’s practically the Swedish gospel according to New Jersey! Creepy melodies pervade throughout—the lyrics are, after all, inspired by horror greats Clive Barker and HP Lovecraft—but overall the saw is the law. Hell, the title “Obsessive Killing Disorder” feels like a spiritual successor to Dismember‘s Massive Killing Capacity.
Lead guitarist/vocalist Matt Moliti explains their goals this time around.
“Morbid Realms is the next step in the evolution of Sentient Horror. I think the songs are more vicious and serious, while also being more mature and well-crafted. I wanted to conjure up the spirit of classic death metal records like Left Hand Path, Dark Recollections and Scream Bloody Gore, with their intricate, twisting landscapes of tempos and riffs.”
You can hear all that a couple days early in the player below.
Morbid Realms is officially out this Friday, November 29 via Redefining Darkness Records (North America) and Testimony Records (Europe).
