I purchasing the debut album Tales of the Coffin Born back in 2010 for two main reasons, namely Kam Lee and Rogga Johansson. I was interested to see how the Floridian and Swedish death metal scenes could be merged and come up with a sound that would be considered as a compromise to both yet still a killer album that would keep fans of both the scenes happy. Well with one listen, my concerns were thrown out the window as it was a quality record full of killer riffs from riff-meister Johansson and stunning vocals from Lee. Their other project at the time, Bone Gnawer, was not too far off this as a reference point but this album was much darker and sinister in content. So what do we expect now with their fourth album? Let’s have a listen and see…
“Under the Curse of the Full Moon” starts off with wolves howling before Rogga’s groove laden riffs emanate from the speakers. He really is a machine with riffs coming out of his ears and albums coming out constantly. Then we have the vocals from Kam who is now in his 50’s, sounding as raw and pissed off as ever. I the first time I heard Kam on From Beyond and how he just blew me away then. I have listened to quite a few of Kam’s projects after Massacre and on this record, he has never sounded so good on any of his other projects than this. The song is just excellent mid-paced groove Swedish death metal with elements of Bolt Thrower and occasional blast beats from Brynjar Helgetun, who is well known to both these comrades. Backed up by regular bass player Johan Berglund who pummels the listener with his bass playing, this song is as tight as you can get and makes for an excellent start to the album.
“By Feral Ways” is again all groove with keyboards strategically placed and as with the opening track, Rogga also gets a chance to include guitar solos which is something I think he should explore more in his other projects. Musically speaking, this is similar to a few of Rogga’s other projects, but the added intensity of Kam on vocals makes this extra special. “Wrath of the Garvulves” is next and is opened by Rogga experimenting with lighter riffs before Kam comes in and sounds as angry as ever, reaching into the pit of his stomach to spew forth his lyrics onto us all. When the song speeds up, there are so many grooves into this song, with Brynjar forcing you to headbang in unison and growling along with Kam, The Grotesquery cannot go far wrong.
A trait that The Grotesquery have used in previous albums is spoken word in-between each song and for the first time on the fourth track, this has been used in order to build the atmosphere for “The Faceless God” which immediately kicks ass. The riff and the persistent growls from Kam and the emphasis of power rather than speed, this song has a lasting effect to the listener. Before you think the band had gone all soft on us, “As Death Dies” picks the pace back up again with more groove and excellent double bass from Brynjar. I really do like his drumming style as it adds so much to the band. Again Rogga unleashes his solos in a timely manner adding atmosphere to the song. This is one of my favourite tracks off the album and if you want to sample how good the album sounds before you buy it, I would recommend this one.
“The Beast of Bayou” follows, opening with groove laden riffs from Rogga enhanced with Kam’s vocals and mid-paced drums from Brynjar emphasising his double bass. When Kam growls the lyrics “Cursed by the Werewolf” I immediately shouted “Yeahhhhhh!” without even thinking about it. Another catchy tune which allows bassist Johan to be heard and it’s easy to see why he has played on all The Grotesquery albums. “Dark Cry of the Wolf” starts off like it is going to be a ballad with light riffs and keyboards, but this is broken by Kam and the song bursts into the most anthemic of tunes. All you could do is imagine you are down the front at the gig and moshing your ass off to it. This is another particular highlight of the album for me and when you listen to it, it’s easy to hear why.
“Ithaqua the Wind Walker” starts off (surprise) an intro of the wind, like in the old Hammer Horror movies. Picture yourself walking through the wind and the eerie mist. The song bursts into life with a killer riff from Rogga and its typical The Grotesquery from here on in. This is another killer tune from all band who have all played their part since the inception of the band in 2009-2010.
Last song “Bloodcurdling Tales” has to be a killer in order for you to press repeat and listen to the whole album again and thankfully, it does not let you down. The riffs have a more in depth sound and Kam again reaches to the depths of his guts for his vocals. Easily the best part of the song is in the middle with its light riffs and before you think they are getting all glam on us, things speed up very quickly with blast beats courtesy of Brynjar. This song should definitely be played live as it will surely get the pit started, while people at the back will have their horns raised watching sheer class musicianship on show. Guess what, I have just pressed the repeat button.
The Grotesquery’s first three albums were based on a HP Lovecraft trilogy and this time you only need to have a look at the front cover to see what it’s all about. The Grotesquery is more of a concept band that Bone Gnawer was not and I feel it adds to a positive experience for the listener to have this. Who knows, this could be the start of the “Werewolf Chronicles”.
Do not underestimate what band Brynjar and Johan have brought to The Grotesquery, but when you have two of the most underrated stalwarts of a scene that especially Kam helped to create, Rogga and co have crushed once again with this album. Yes, you may say that it sounds like any of Rogga’s other projects but when you have Master K Lee on vokills, there will never be anything to let you down on this or any album by The Grotesquery. I am away to watch Underworld now.
The Lupine Anathema is out April 6th
The Grotesquery: facebook | bandcamp
