Dismember on DeBaser: Swedish death metal, chainsaws and fury

The Profile

Dismember are a Swedish death metal band from Stockholm, formed in 1988 and central to the city’s pioneering scene alongside Entombed, Grave and Unleashed. Their 1991 debut Like an Ever Flowing Stream helped define the Sunlight Studios ‘chainsaw’ sound; highlights include Indecent & Obscene (1993) and Death Metal (1997). They disbanded in 2011 and reunited in 2019.

Core members across eras include vocalist Matti Kärki and drummer/founder Fred Estby, with guitarist David Blomqvist among the longstanding pillars. Hallmarks: buzzing, heavily distorted guitars, guttural vocals, war- and death-themed lyrics, and old-school songwriting with occasional death ’n’ roll elements.

Dismember, pillars of the Stockholm death metal sound, get a handful of DeBaser reviews spanning their classic blitzes and later detours. Expect chainsaw guitars, warlike themes, and granite riffing from Like an Ever Flowing Stream to Indecent & Obscene and Death Metal. Opinions vary on Massive Killing Capacity’s death ’n’ roll turn, but the love for their raw ferocity is unmistakable.

Notable Quotes

❝ Fast, violent, but above all raw.

❝ A compressed, compact, and beastly album: the last uncompromising offering by Dismember; followed by an honorable decline nonetheless.

❝ Shortly thereafter, Fred Estby & Co. released the controversial (for its cover) "Pieces", and then reached, in my opinion, the pinnacle of their career at a compositional level with the magnificent "Indecent and Obscene", a true masterpiece of the genre.

❝ A remarkable album that concludes with the mid-tempo of "Dreaming in Red": a sort of enchanting ballad that takes you by the hand and leads you to the gates of the black Inferno...