A lot of latterday death metal bands and fans (particularly of the br00tal American east coast persuasion) seem to insist on bragging about the complexity and heaviness (decibel-wise anyway) of their often insipid and bland choices of music. Yet, I can readily guarantee that about 90% of them have never even bothered to listen to this particular masterpiece. An album that was not only way ahead of its own time, but would certainly be considered revolutionary in any time period.

In the late 80's and early 90's, there was an underground revolution in the city of Stockholm. Inspired heavily by American death metal gods Morbid Angel, British & American grindcore pioneers Carcass, Napalm Death and Autopsy and the severely underrated Netherlandese death/thrash gods Pestilence, about a dozen bands created a very distinctive style of death metal, with Tomas Skögsberg's Sunlight Studios being their recording haven. Entombed's Clandestine is the album that represents the pinnacle of evolution for this scene. A masterpiece of intensity, creativity, intricacy of arrangement, atmosphere and crafty melodicism, this album could've easily spawned a multitude of clones... yet the fact that it didn't makes it all the more spectacular.

Entombed wastes no time in commencing the punishment - the opening track, "Living Dead," defies any claims of Swedes lacking the balls of their American counterparts, by striking nonbelievers down with an opening riff that is easily as heavy or heavier than anything done in the same era by Suffocation, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Deicide or any other big-name American death metal act of the era. Yet it is not without a high level of melodicism and catchiness. The guitar work throughout this album is ingenious and difficult to emulate, without resorting to "technical" clichés of bizarre manipulation of time signatures (not that there aren't bands which did this well). It's also very subtle - one would be very hard-pressed to pick up on all the nuances of Alex Hellid and Uffe Cederlund's twin assault upon first or second listen. This isn't to say that the melodies are buried (they're actually quite prominent and memorable), but some of the techniques used here are nothing short of intriguing.

The vocals are simply fantastic. Nicke Andersson roars in a way that nobody else can - his voice is deep and fierce-sounding, yet clear and coherent... it's actually rather hard to describe, but rest assured that it's very distinct among the pack of cookie monster rejects. Not only that, but as a drummer, he's one of the best in the business. His rhythms and fills boast a level of complexity that was unheard of for many of his contemporaries (yes, that goes for Commando Sandoval as well). He's not super-fast by any stretch, but he doesn't need to be. Nicke chooses to utilize his amazing creativity to build a foundation for Entombed's music, rather than a constant jackhammer double-bass and 240 bpm blasting.

But it's not the riffs, nor the vocals, nor even the drumming, but the incredible arrangements that make Clandestine the phenomenon that it is. No more than a handful of bands have ever managed to create songs with the amount of quirks and unpredictable hooks as the nine found on this disc, without resorting to superfluous wankery and tek-nee-kool pomposity. It's difficult to explain, but the songwriting team of Andersson/Cederlund/Rosenberg seemed intent on making this album asort of twisted siren song, which tempted listeners with the combination of ass- ripping brutality and harmonious melody, then threw them off balance with spontaneous riff changes while punishing them with Nicke's lyrical/vocal diatribes, yet the unprecedented depth and memorable nature of the compositions would keep them coming back for more. Needless to say, they succeeded with flying colors. Hell, even the samples are utilized in a manner that only adds to the feel of the songs, rather than being tacked on to the beginning or end, the way they are for just about all others.

The production is also quite noteworthy here. The mixing is just about the best I've ever heard on a death metal album. All instruments in impeccable balance with one another, without sounding over-polished. And the guitars have that distinctive gritty Sunlight Studios sound. Yes, the drums are triggered, but the triggers are used in a manner that doesn't annoy the listener at all (due to the absence of any sort of jackhammering). This serves as the icing on just about the most delectable FAT-FREE cake in the vast bakery that is death metal.

So, for those of you who believe that complex and compelling death metal begins and ends with Suffocation and Cannibal Corpse wannabes, Entombed's Clandestine will serve as a rude awakening to what REAL death metal is meant to be. And for those who know better, yet don't own this album, you owe it to yourselves to purchase it. It's not quite so easy to find, but it is infinitely more than worth the effort (even though I guarantee that nobody will be able to get the same great deal on it that I did =).

This review is credited to:
The Havoc Vulture