Release Date - 19th November 2021
Label - Century Media
The Lurking Fear is a band formed back in 2016 featuring veterans from the Swedish underground, most notably members of At The Gates as well as ex Edge of Sanity multi-instrumentalist Andreas Axelsson and Fredrik Wallenberg. Basically, it’s the Swedish death metal version of the Avengers.
This is the second full- length from the band following on from 2017’s ‘Out of the Voiceless Grave’. As three members currently reside in Gothenburg legends At the Gates, one might think there would be a heavy leaning towards the melo-death sound they are considered to have created.
The Lurking Fear have stripped all that back and have delivered a near 40 minute album of old school death metal. No track outstays its welcome and many tracks barley breach the 3 minute mark, but what is crammed into each of these tracks are riffs, riffs, more riffs and Tomas Lindberg Redant’s unmistakable vocals. Alongside this is a rocking rhythm section that most bands in the metal genre will be envious of.
Talking of short tracks, Kaleidoscopic Mutations clocks in at only 1 minute 36 seconds and features another monster in the death metal scene, none other than Autopsy vocalist Chris Reifert lending a perverse vocal performance, coupled with the evocative riffs to create an anxious feeling.
Short, concise, snappy slabs of death metal make this is a pulverising album from start to finish.
Production wise this is one of the stand outs of the year. The album sounds incredible, every instrument is level in the mix and nothing left out and Tomas’ vocals sound incredible.
The album artwork is also a contender for album cover of the year, simple yet effective. The album is created by Stefan Thanneur who also did the previous album art and represents an eclipse, and tentacles.
There are many bands out there plying their trade in the death metal genre but there is no substitute for experience. What The Lurking Fear have done here is pooled all of their many years’ experience in the scene and created an album that will be considered one of the best death metal albums of the decade.
Hopefully the band can continue to make records under this bands name, obviously At the Gates are the main project but it would be a waste to let this collective of musicians not put out more under The Lurking Fear banner.
8/10
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