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Rating: In the early 1990s, there was a curious and somewhat heated debate among supporters of Entombed vs. Dismember (the bands, it must be admitted, never really fueled the fire, quite the opposite... but we'll discuss this further), in which, essentially, the authorship of the so-called Swedish Death sound was contested: it was a bit like deciding which came first, the chicken or the egg, since both bands benefited from the now-mythical Sunlight Studios in Gothenburg. Although, to be fair, it was the last demo tape by Nihilist "But Life Goes On" (the pre-fame Entombed, with Hedlund of Unleashed as a member) that slightly preceded the explosion of this wave of death bands with that particular sound.
However, if we were to create a chronological list of releases on record labels, the result would be as follows: Carnage "Dark Recollection" (a supergroup formed by M. Amott, Matti Karki, Fred Estby, David Blomquist, i.e., the future lead guitarist of Carcass plus 3/5 of Dismember), Entombed "Left Hand Path", and lastly, Dismember with their debut. Almost simultaneously with these were the early works of Grave, Grotesque (later At The Gates), Dan Swano's Edge of Sanity, and of course, Unleashed.
All this to say that the period in question was particularly rich in releases, or better said, there was an invasion of products coming from Sweden as a trademark: those who didn't hurry, among the various groups, lost significant portions of fans to those who could already boast album(s). Thus, Dismember, after the collaboration with Carnage (see above), decided in haste to release the first full-length album "Like an Ever Flowing Stream", so hastily that the solos were played by Nicke Andersson of Entombed, and the album, which remains a milestone of the genre for its ferocity and power (see "Skin Her Alive"), lacks definition. It appears scarcely thought-out, almost like a transposition of their previous demos.
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. It not only offers the pure sound violence of that style, of which the band can be seen, jointly, as the true fathers, but it also showcases improved individual technique, greater structural cohesion of the songs, and exceptional dynamism and impact potency.
The opener "Fleshless" and the subsequent and remarkable "Skinfather", with its truly devastating finale, clearly exemplify this, as violence and maturity in songwriting blend well with the ability to slow down and offer significant breaks at the right moment, enhancing the pathos of the songs. It's pleasurable to finally hear Matti Karki's growl more defined, as he yells lyrics that are as usual "indecent and obscene", as an English tabloid described them.
"Sorrowfilled", which opens with a riff that could have belonged to their friends Entombed from "Wolverine Blues", is another standout piece of the album, with great riffs, sudden tempo changes, and a very expressive solo. "Case # Obscene" is perhaps the least successful track on the entire record, yet it remains a very varied song with notable riff changes, but nothing memorable. The A-side of the platter closes with the song that perhaps can be considered more tied to the compositional schemes of "Like an Ever Flowing Stream", that is the dramatic and furious "Shouldervourer" with its horrific ending.
Well, about "Reborn in Blasphemy", what can be said, apart from it being one of the most famous and appreciated pieces of the entire Dismember discography, that it is loudly acclaimed at concerts, and that it signifies the grandeur of this album, etc. etc. "Eviscerated (Bitch)" starts fiercely and aggressively and concludes similarly after only 2 minutes and 27 seconds, adding nothing particular besides an increased neck pain from severe headbanging.
"9th Circle", excellent for its elaboration and intense passion over its long span of 4 plus minutes, acts as a prelude to the song that, in my opinion, deserves the prize of the LP's best song, namely "Dreaming In Red" (of which there is also a delightful video), an extended and dramatic descent into hell, almost romantic (??!!!) in its progression and its numerous beautiful solos, violated by the rather coarse vocal performance of good old M. Karki, and finally highlighting the bass part as well.
In conclusion of this lengthy review (please excuse my excessive wordiness, but I wished to clarify some historical considerations), all I can do is recommend purchasing this album, which does not fear comparison with the remaining Dismember discography and has nevertheless aged well, retaining a certain freshness with each subsequent listen.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Fleshless (02:57)
Fleshless I crawl
Drifting alone
By the realm of the living
Eternal I have become
I will never die
I shall nourish the unborn
Shadowed until the end of time
Twilight is upon me
And deep below I lay
I accept my fate as it becomes
Why should I be afraid to die
Soon my night will fall
Only dreams remain
Through another day
Seems so lonely
In this cold domain
Tainted by my sinful past
Shadows over me it casts
The very power of my soul
Will last until we all shall fall
Painful as it is
I have to realise
I'm not the only one
There is thousands more to die
Only grief remains
With hate I will pass away
To my land of dreams
Whus it shall stand until we all shall fall
We all shall fall
03 Sorrowfilled (04:08)
How this, my rightful palace
Has been fouled
With the dust
On countless innocent dead
Ornamented extinction
Of a soon-to-be soul
Stripped naked I run
From this ultimate goal
First I was warm
Then I drifted cold
I saw the afterlife
So ancient and so old
Hate the only true emotion
So should it be
So shall it be
Where the void is eternal
And life is internal
I was born a god
And will die as one
Without a pure soul
I cannot give sight
To their blind lives
But will only blind myself
And leaves me nothing
But sorrowfilled
The vastness I see
That surrounds me
I am one with infinity
Trapped in the world of formlessness
The world is dying
Nihilistic rage burns deep within
I am one with blasphemy
Trapped in the world of formlessness
The world is dying
Source of power kept free from sin
04 Case # Obscene (03:38)
The gate your portal to life
Falter and grows weak
Your sense of reality somewhat distorted
Morbidity your sanity suffers
In your escape from the truth
Invoke surkai
And amit your wrongdoing
Cursed by the morals
Of generations no longer needed
Living your worthless lives
By the faith written in blood
I weep for your souls
Until they're dust and memories
Forgotten eternally
Calling it 'independence' and 'freedom'
An act that chains them to corruption
That will bring this world down
Your so called truth and righteous light
Who is the one being perverted
Can you ever tell the difference from
Right and wrong
05 Souldevourer (03:39)
Spirit side dreaming
Let your blood flow
A last grasp
At your dying faith
I will eat your soul
Your suffering is mine
I'll be your source of pain
Dead ends now entwine
Phantasmal being nightmare creature
Your death is to be sustained
Repeating your act of painful demise
The will to live forever maimed
Demon resurrection
Come die with us
A bloodstained path to oblivion
Scarring both mind and soul
Fuel my evergrowing hate
As I devour you whole
Soul devourer
Lifeeater
I bringer of bitterness
To forever be
Forever sleep
With a hellbound heart
Where pain is born
Carved in flesh
Another object of my art
As I did you also learn
Screaming as our souls burn
The meaning of your severe pain
Your crawling flesh dies again
06 Reborn in Blasphemy (04:49)
Ascending from the grave
Awakened from my sleep
To this world, from this earth
Destined to forever seek
From the fields of an age forever splended
Down to this globular place of dirt
Never realized that my life never ended
Screaming through the process of rebirth
Only existing to die once more
Ever agonizing pain mt only thirst
My rotten carcass
Cold and worn infested
Meets it's destiny
Reborn in blasphemy
Opressing darkness closing in on me
Twilight madness ripping souls apart
Taste my unholiness
Deep in flesh I'm waiting
As hell appeals to me
Reborn in blasphemy
07 Eviscerated (Bitch) (02:20)
My hallucinating killing need
Your journey into pain
Laugh at your attempt to kill me
I cannot be unmade
Eviscerated bitch
How little I think you're worth
You don't have face anymore
Fragments of the skull bursting through
Remaining pieces on the floor
A masterpiece of skinless art
I'll sign it in your flesh
Furiously ripping limbs apart
My seed all over this mess
I'm not satisfied
Till your blood is on those walls
I know your flesh when I see it
08 9th Circle (04:34)
Watch the twilight Colour the sky In this monotony of chaos Insane limbo Sickening sights In this garden of dark delights Lunatic dreams become nightmare reality Entangled into persistence No answer to your existence The curse has come We've been waiting all to long Morbid enlightener of souls Wandering distant and alone Deboned and defleshed Denied is our lives Enter our graves Exalted as we die True hell on earth Forget the burning heavens Dedicated To the lord of living pain Motherfucker Who told you hell was warm Infernal winter The ninth circle closed
09 Dreaming in Red (05:20)
Time is drifting away
To form another day
With or without me
My faith to be
Tomorrow I will not see
'Be it the deepest of dreams
Or the darkest of deaths
Nor can either of these
Truly guarantee my release'
Staring at these four walls
Remembering what I have achieved
Enter the tomb of the deceived
All that where is lost
Whores of mankind
Take my fuckin' life
Alone I'll be
One with the dreams in red
Flatlined and cold I lay
Victim of their play
In the shadows of the obscure
My soul forever never more
14 Soon to Be Dead (01:56)
Agonized terrified horrified
Emotions brutalized
Crucified nailed to the cross
With spikes through my hands
I shall die upon this cross
All by myself
Salvations lost
Soon to be dead
Consider me as another victim
Of their plans
But my choice
Is not your <i>[fucking]</i> jesus christ
Now I'm dead alone and
Rotting on this cross
But I'll be back
Hell is what I want
Hell is what I get
In the fires I'll burn
But there's nothing I'll regret
Hell awaits me
My soul is raped
I will get them I will kill them
At the end of time
As long they are free
Preaching their shit
I'll never find peace
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