If Wombbath sound way too at home revving chainsaws à la Swedish death metal’s finest, that’s because they actually do come from that time and place. Their resurrection for 2015’s Downfall Rising placed them alongside countrymen Entrails as bands from the sound’s heyday now resurrected. While those peers hadn’t released music before reanimating, Wombbath had a legacy to protect: cult classic debut Internal Caustic Torments. On Choirs of the Fallen, they continue doing exactly that.
Håkan Stuvemark and co. proved their capability with their initial return and have only solidified their position over their stay. We’ve premiered songs for them not once but twice and even had a parrot peck about them. The second of those premieres was for “From the Beggars Hands,” which does a great job illustrating this LP’s mantra. It grooves a la Stockholm’s finest, occasionally breaks through with some faster bits and haunts via keyboards. Elsewhere, these are taken to their logical conclusion. Preceding song “A Sweet Taste of Death” utilizes otherwordly textures—chimes as icy as the chilling embrace of the beyond—while follow-up “Void” makes speed the rule rather than the exception and its blast beats are more threatening for it.
Later, “Choirs of the Damned” chokes its chords short for a staccato feel accentuating the groove. All of this is precursed by a Swedeath classic; “Fallen” kicks off the album with a track-opening “ough” straight into a tremolo riff.
All of which is to say the album is a blast. Check it out early in the player below.
Order Choirs of the Fallen here (U.S.) or here (worldwide).
