ENTOMBED
Sons Of Satan Praise The Lord

THE REVIEW

"Children of Satan Praise the Lord."

With a title like that and given that we are talking about Entombed, it is very easy to imagine the content of this double CD consisting solely of covers; for the beauty of twenty-eight satanic tracks. There's little to say about the musical history of the Swedish band: they were among the first to spread the sacred Death Metal word in Europe and around the globe; with that systematic use, at least in the first part of their career, of a "crushing" and destabilizing guitar sound that set the standard for dozens of groups that followed them.

Recordings made between 1993 and 1999 and later gathered in this double format published by the label "Music For Nations" (another label I would call fundamental for extreme music) at the end of 2002.

A naked man, floating in the air; against a post-atomic background below the band's gothic logo: this is how the cover of the work presents itself, which I certainly don't rank among the best of Entombed. But it becomes a valid tool for understanding the influences and favorite bands of the group, led by the charisma and furious voice of Lars Goran Petrov.

Repulsion, MC5, S.O.D., Venom, Motorhead, Misfits, Unsane: a series of names that first and foremost deserve respect, given their enormous influence and importance not only from a musical standpoint. But the Swedish guys couldn't care less about respect and cover the tracks in a brutal way, disemboweling and tearing them to pieces. Without any mercy.

There are two songs that, in my opinion, need to be delved into: "God of Thunder" by Kiss, recorded in 1993 when the Swedes could still rely on the drumming skills of that prodigious phenomenon that was Nicke Andersson. Five damn (and there was no way I wouldn't make the satanic reference!!!) heavy minutes of oppressive, obsessive weight.

And especially Hüsker Dü’s "Something I Learned Today" (for the few, I hope, who didn't know, this brief Hardcore-Punk outburst opened up that sonic monolith bearing the name "Zen Arcade"); a new outstanding performance, of absolute value, with clean vocals that at least this time set aside the primordial growl that was another characteristic of Entombed.

It continues with Black Sabbath, King Crimson (!), Alice Cooper, Bad Brains, Twisted Sister, and even, incredible but true, Bob Dylan: a bit of everything with no barriers...THE BALLAD OF HOLLIS BROWN...

Two years ago, the band ended their career, which lasted for more than twenty-five years. To me, a real shame, given the scope and value of much of their discography...LEFT HAND PATH...

Entombed (1987-2014 R.I.P.).