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WOMBBATH
The Great Desolation

Soulseller (2018)
Rating: 8.5/10

When these guys formed in 1990 as Seizure my bloodshot eyes were immediately drawn to them, but to say this Swedish bunch has been rather inactive is an understatement. Only two albums had emerged before this latest effort, to the point that we are basically dealing with two different bands.

Wombbath’s debut offering Internal Caustic Torments was released in 1993, and a year later the combo took on a death ‘n’ roll style with the Lavatory EP. However, 2015 marked a new era for original member Håkan Stuvemark (guitar) and company with the Downfall Rising platter.

Since then, Wombbath have been on the up, issuing a few split projects and now this nine-track offering; a killer slice of Swedish death metal that follows the familiar trends we’ve become accustomed to since the early 90s.

Extra vim and nastiness is brought from the off with the snarling attack of ‘Embrace Death’, a fine chunk of salivating metal that combines those familiar buzzsaw riffs with faster lashings of ear-splitting pace. Yes, I know I’ve moaned about so many bands adopting that Swedish sound, or the fact that too many Swedish acts all sound alike but again, if it’s done right, then I can forgive. Just check out those gargantuan doomy segments and then the sudden change back to ferocious intent, and you’ll be drooling all over the floor.

The title track features a dark melody initially, bolstered by those stabbing drum nods from Henrik Åberg who really shines on this track. The flurry of guitar, bass and drums then veers into an abrasive and chilly black metal style before the return to that dense, slower gloominess.

And that’s where Wombbath is at, the album and sound summed up by those two monoliths which ache with quality before the sinister realms of ‘Footsteps Of Armageddon’ are awoken – my favourite cut on the record. It begins in such a gloomy and choking fashion; the smoggy riff, the clunking bass and that creepy narration. The way the track builds into an immense chugging beast is simply admirable; Wombbath create grisly atmospherics, and grandiose ghastliness permeates the already foul air as the vocal barks of Jonny Pettersson soar into the mist and the combo embarks on a relentless assault.

Other joys also include ‘The Weakest Flesh’; this one also begins with a fusty odour, the guitars just sawing with a simmering intensity as the drums cascade like bones thrown from a cliff before that aural assault of blistering speed. Meanwhile, ‘Cold Steel Salvation’ just goes for the throat from the start; this one gallops with such a ferocity until the tone drops and we get a meaty grind, the vocals becoming a hideous layer of squawks and yaps.

‘Hail The Obscene’ changes the mood entirely, however; this one starts out like a lofty ballad of sorts, stark in its haunting beauty before the sudden black / death sprawl envelopes us in its frosty cloak. Again, Wombbath soaks us up in its clammy, guttural atmosphere before the fizzing jerk, and we’re headlong down the tunnel while being pursued by some salivating entity of the night.

The melodies throughout this opus just bring up an awful sense of dread and suffocating darkness as ‘Born Of Filth’ with its rich, clawing melody contrasts with the devastating blows of ‘Harvester Of Sin’, which returns to aggressive type as a sick vortex of gnashing vocals and guitar accelerations.

The whole experience leaves you coated in a gloopy phlegm while your skin begins to flap and flail at the realisation you’ve just been shredded alive. 2018 has burped up a lot of Swedish and Swedish-styled manifestations, but Wombbath’s is head and shoulders above most.

Neil Arnold

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