The Terror Threshold is Revoltings fifty-two minute 2010 release that I really enjoyed back when it came out. FIFTY-FUCKING-TWO-MINUTES of Swedish death metal. It does get a bit exhaustive as a listening experience, but the album features some of the best riffs and most addictive songwriting I've recently heard in Swedish death metal. With most of the subgenre being stagnant and predictably boring, Revolting takes the predictable and makes it fun again.
These ex-Razorback monsters still have some shocks in store for us. With The Terror Threshold they peel back rotting flesh to reveal more fluid guitarwork and layers of thick bass that Dreadful Pleasures only displayed in passing. "The Grip Of Death" is melodic, powerful, and catchy, while "Heads In The Fridge" has a memorable chorus, and "Harvest The Humans" features one of the best leads I've heard in awhile (well, at least at the time of listening to the album). If there's one thing every track on The Terror Threshold has in common, it's that they're all filled to the brim with hooks and memorable parts despite their simplicity. This is an example of how Rogga's straightforward approach to songwriting shines.
My biggest complaint about the album is the exhaustive length. Fifty-two minutes of Swedish death metal? That's like listening to an hour of grindcore. It doesn't work atmospherically or aesthetically and ultimately makes me bored, so I usually find myself listening to The Terror Threshold in halves. The first half is superior to the second with a blistering assault of catchy tracks from "Gulp The Blood..." till "Trigger The Trap." The second half of the album has its moments too with tracks like the closer "Skull Scavengers," but ultimately is less exciting. This is because tracks 10-17 are from the unreleased Bonesaw Leftovers EP, and although it's still passable Swedish death metal, Revolting has clearly improved in their songwriting prowess and ability since then. The production also takes a sharp turn for the worse as the album goes on. The transition is jarring and it makes me feel like the EP should be released separately, or the tracks should've at least been re-recorded for the the full-length. Whatever. I guess I shouldn't be complaining about a free EP being included on this release. The album still rules regardless.
8.25 out of 10
Tracklisting:
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