Hailed as Swedish crust lords, Martyrdöd have already built a respectable back-catalogue since their formation, and their recent signing to Southern Lord, the home of heavy, promises a proliferation of additions to cement their reputation as kings of crust.
If the brightness and clarity of the production and the apparent cleanness of the opening bars of the first track, ‘Nog Är Nog’ comes as something of a surprise, make no mistake: the crispness simply makes for a sharper tool with which to lash out as the tumult of rage explodes when the vocals come screaming in.
There’s no shortage of aggression, and the pace is unrelenting, but the duelling guitars do get a little showy at times, which seems at odds with the uncluttered drumming, played at breakneck speed. The squealy harmonics that feature in several tracks, most notably ‘Klassfienden’ do detract a shade from the brutal force of the rhythm section, and it would be hard to argue that they’re necessary.
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There are times, too, when Mikael Kjellman’s vocals simply sound strained and uncomfortable, as on ‘Hör Världens Rop’. But then, anyone would struggle to keep up with the full-throttle barrage of the amped-up instrumentation, which isn’t only cranked up to eleven, but seems to step up a gear on ‘Ett Hjärta Av Eld’ which really gets some grind going.
‘Paranoia’ is by no means gentle, but by the same token, doesn’t pack the venomous force it might. The fact it doesn’t make me shiver or want to shit my pants dictates a six out of ten rating.
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