Bastard Grave - Vortex of Disgust

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Traditional forms of Death Metal became fractured in the early days of the 90’s, as the genre left the cellars of the underground and came to evidence. On that moment, the things became polarized between national Schools: Sweden, UK and USA showed their own national forms. Today, some acts are trying to work on the most traditional way they can, and some are able to breathe new life on such old models of sonority. One of them is the Swedish quintet BASTARD GRAVE, as shown on “Vortex of Disgust”, the band’s latest album. Their musical work is based on an Old School Swedish Death Metal, or in other words, a form of Death Metal that has resemblances with what GRAVE, EDGE OF SANITY, CARNAGE, UNLEASHED and others did on their early releases (but without the ‘jigsaw’ riffing of the guitars), but some traces of UK School can be heard (as the slow tempos parts where some influences of BOLT THROWER can be detected) .

So one can have the clear idea that the hooks inherited of Hardcore, that bitter appeal and aggressiveness of the old days can be heard on this album, but note that they’re not trying to be anyone else than themselves, or in other words, they really work in a personal form. It’s a very good album to be heard, indeed. The members of the quintet recorded the instruments themselves (except for the drums parts, because Ulf Blomberg is the one who did it), and delivered the tracks to be mixed and mastered by the hands of Greg Wilkinson (the bass player of AUTOPSY and a known producer into underground). The things sound in an Old School Death Metal way, but always in a defined and understandable way, so the fans will have the best of the band’s music for sure. And what a great and sick artwork created by Thomas “Necromaniac” Westphal.

The band’s music sounds alive and really aggressive in the old Death Metal ways, and its charming appeal can be heard clearly on moments as “Sunder the Earth” (the combination of Old School Death Metal fast and slow rhythms with grunts and snarls of the vocals is really very good), “Icon Bearer” (another great moment where they use contrasts between slow and fast tempos, and what solid work of bass guitar and drums can be heard), “Consumed and Forgotten” (this one is the traditional slow song that is usual for the genre, with bitter ambiences created by the guitars with their massive riffing), “Hunger to Devour” (a faster and oppressive song, again with very good Old School guitars), and “Vortex of Disgust”.

BASTARD GRAVE is the right band for Old School Death Metal fans, and for sure they’ll love “Vortex of Disgust”.

Songwriting: 8
Musicianship: 8
Memorability: 8
Production: 9