Vomitory – Opus Mortis VIII

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There’s a huge problem when it comes to Swedish death metal. You either sound like Entombed or Grave. Vomitory, with their eighth album Opus Mortis VIII, fit into the latter category. Although the album definitely doesn’t tread any new ground, it’s still an ejoyable listen. The first two tracks, Regorge in the Morgue and Bloodstained definitely give off a Brazilian vibe, not unlike Krisiun, just because it’s so straight-forward and brutal, but still blazing fast. Starting with They Will Burn though, they slow it down and have a more “Swedish tempo” that feels just right. The more predictable stuff is definitely the album’s weak point. You could basically substitute Grave or even someone like Malevolent Creation in for Vomitory on these songs and no one would notice. Torturous Ingenious does mix the melody of Dismember and the brutal groove of At The Gates very nicely, though. That’s basically the blueprint for this album: a lot of good filler with some gems thrown in here and there. This is a safe album for beginners looking to get into the Swedish death metal scene, but no-one should pick this over Entombed’s Left Hand Path or Dismember’s Like An Ever Flowing Stream.

Written by Jackson May
More: 2011, Albums, Death Metal, Quick.Play Reviews, Vomitory