Album Reviews : Grave – Burial Ground

When you think about it, reviewing a Grave album is almost a superfluous exercise. It’s hardly likely that they are going to be shocking anybody with the introduction of progressive flourishes or exotic instrumentation at this point in their career so it almost suffices to simply state “it’s a Grave album” and leave it at that.

Comparisons can readily be made to their countrymen Unleashed as both found their beginnings in the infancy of the Swedish death metal scene, both have found their unique takes on death metal and both bands continue to release albums on their own terms regardless of what trends may come and go. (And yes, both bands have also had a couple of relative duds in that time as well!)

Album number nine was once again recorded, mixed, mastered and produced by guitarist/vocalist (and sole original member) Ola Lindgren at his studio, Studio Soulless, and it has resulted in a dirty, raw and primal sound that fits the band perfectly.

Most of the songs are four minute acts of violence though there are also a couple of lengthier songs such as “Dismembered Mind”, which features lyrics contributed by Dismember front man Matti Karki, and the title track which closes the album in convincing fashion.

It is reassuring to see that, even with the current resurgence in bands reverting to the original death metal sound that came out of Sweden in the early nineties such as Fatalist or Karnarium to name just a couple, Grave continue to be relevant and have something to offer despite being in existence for over twenty years.

If you like any of Grave’s previous works then there is little to fear here and, conversely, if this wasn’t the case then it is highly unlikely that the forty minutes of “Burial Ground” will change any views that have already been formed on their music but I doubt that the band would have it any other way.

Of course this kind of death metal is where I really discovered extreme music, their debut “Into The Grave” was one of the first CDs I ever bought, so I am probably not entirely unbiased here but what I said at the start of this review still stands, this is a typical Grave album from start to finish and that is really all that needs to be said. No frills, no surprises just pure death metal from one of the bands that helped create the style as we know it and still do it so very well. 8/10

Band: Grave
Album: Burial Ground
Year: 2010
Genre: Death Metal
Label: Regain/Riot! Entertainment
Origin: Sweden
www.myspace.com/gravespace

Track Listing:

1. Liberation
2. Semblance In Black
3. Dismembered Mind
4. Ridden With Belief
5. Conqueror
6. Outcast
7. Sexual Mutilation
8. Bloodtrail
9. Burial Ground