Revolting - Hymns Of Ghastly Horror

When it comes to schlocky horror fun, you can't go wrong with '70s slasher films. The modern musical equivalent to these is Rogga's Revolting, or pretty much any band that was featured at some point or another on Razorback Recordings.

Perhaps one of Rogga's more consistent groups, Revolting have released their fourth studio full-length Hymns Of Ghastly Horror. Even if you're not familiar with Revolting, their cover art is pretty telling. What else can we expect from these guys but more of the same? Nothin'. That's exactly what we get: d-beat death metal romps filled with wailing whammy solos and horror-themed lyrics.

Revolting is the definition of hook-laden death metal. Literally everything these aficionados of terror (primarily Rogga) pump out is catchy and deserving of some replay value. Riffs are chunky and beefed up with a classic Swedish-sounding distortion. It is a bit more compressed than the classic Sunlight Sound but it still carries with it a degree of brutality. The opener "The Mother Of Darkness" begins with a synthesizer effect that wouldn't sound out of place in a '70s B-horror, and instrumental "The Thing That C.H.U.D. Not Be" is a groovy reference to a long-forgotten cult film. Occasionally Revolting will throw some samples in there to further that vibe too that I'm sure the devoted horror fan will enjoy.

There's plenty of quality melodic riffing on Hymns Of Ghastly Horror. "The Black Queen" is a lead-heavy mosher with a fun triplet breakdown in the middle. "Prey To Katahdin" and "The Hatchet Murders" are both potent tracks with catchy melodies as well. The silly "Kinderfeeder" feels more like a Jungle Rot track but it does add some variety to an album that sticks to its guns. There's only one weak track on Hymns Of Ghastly Horror and it's "Psychoplasmics." The track is completely serviceable but boring death metal. When Rogga isn't blaring his leads the quality of the music really takes a dip.

For fans of Revolting, this is more of the same goodness. For people who've never heard Revolting before, this is as good a place to jump into their discography as any.

7.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	The Mother of Darkness
2.	Their Thoughts Can Kill
3.	Ravenous Alien Spawn
4.	Lair of the Black Queen
5.	The Thing That C.H.U.D. Not Be
6.	Psychoplasmics
7.	Prey to Katahdin
8.	Kinderfeeder
9.	The Hatchet Murders

Listen // Buy

Revolting - In Grisly Rapture

"Revolting. And Revolting. And Revolting. And Revolting. And Revolting." That's the sample used to end Revolting's genitalia-covered, In Grisly Rapture.

Melody is a term applied to bird songs and shitty Gothenburg bands. However to Rogga Johansson the term means "Leads. Leads everywhere." Rogga's infectious leads are back, but this time their prominence is dominating and a bit forced at times. "The Plague Of Matul" features some fun yet aggressive melodies, and "Dr. Freudstein" follows up with some nice arpeggiated riffs in the verse and holds some melodious notes in the chorus. In Grisly Rapture loses the fun horror-schlock feel of it's predecessors though in exchange for a more serious, sombre tone. Honestly it hurts the sound when coupled with the more melodic riffing.

I'm not sure how I feel about this change in direction. Each track remains catchy, hook-laden, and fun, but to a lesser extent now that the melodies have been amped up and are now more prominent. Part of the reason I enjoyed the other Revolting albums so was the heavy, headbanging grooves. In Grisly Rapture trades most of them away. The track "The Devil Witch" which seem to have grooving potential devolves into boringness while more intense tracks like "(Beyond) The Book Of Eibon" and "Human Exterminator" are shadows of former glories on The Terror Threshold, although "Human Exterminator" is one of the better tracks on the album.

The production is a bit weaker as well and less bass-heavy. The mixing job isn't nearly as good this time around and it makes In Grisly Rapture feel somewhat subdued. Everything about it is weaker than it's predecessor, although there is always fun to be had with some hook-filled Swedish death metal.

7.0 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	Hell in Dunwich
2.	The Plague of Matul
3.	Human Exterminator
4.	Dr. Freudstein
5.	"Died of Fright"
6.	Sucked into the Sand
7.	(Beyond) The Book of Eibon
8.	The Devil Witch
9.	Hideous & Revolting

Revolting - The Terror Threshold

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:

1.	Gulp the Blood...
2.	The Grip of Death
3.	Grotesque Beyond Belief
4.	Heads in the Fridge
5.	Rise of the Revolter
6.	Harvest the Humans
7.	Trigger the Trap
8.	Bloodthirsty Bitches
9.	Destructive Organism
10.	Horror Hooker
11.	Gorezone Obsession
12.	Vengeance of the Nails
13.	Slimetime
14.	Grizzly Aftermath
15.	Welcome to the Shredshed
16.	Bonesaw Leftovers
17.	Skull Scavengers

Revolting - Dreadful Pleasures

Swedish death metal is awesome. It's got all the stylings of '80s Swedish hardcore like Mob 47 and Anti-Cimex, but with the aggression and brutality of death metal. I don't know how anyone can not like this stuff, and Revolting is pretty much a modern exercise in oldschool d-beat brutality that any fan of Swedish death metal will love to get their hands on.

Revolting Rogga - Revolting's aptly name frontman, guitarist, and songwriter is quite possibly one of the most prolific musicians of the last few years. His credits include: Bloodgut, Bone Gnawer, Megascavenger, Paganizer, Putrevore, Ribspreader, Swarming, and The Grotesquery, and obviously Revolting. Their first release Dreadful Pleasures dredged itself out of hell in 2007 and with its cult horror theme, it was bound to be a fun little romp.

Fun it is indeed. "Tenafly Viper" sets the tone on Dreadful Pleasures. As one solid slab of campy schlock and gore, the '70s and '80s horror themes are realized perfectly by tracks like "Terror Has No Shape" and "Moonshine Mutation." Each track flows together like a B-movie horror marathon. There's numerous d-beat sections and simple chugging riffs on Dreadful Pleasures too. Although it might sound a bit shallow and simplistic, Rogga manages to weave hooks into each of them with the occasional lead interspersed amongst the heavy-ass riffing. It works wonders and gives Dreadful Pleasures a depth that might go unnoticed similar to all the satire and political undertones in the B-movies the album is inspired by.

Musically the album is entirely hook-driven. There are vocal hooks, lead hooks, and d-beat hooks all throughout the entire thirty minutes of Dreadful Pleasures. The production aids the simple riffing and guitar tone by creating a solid low-end with extra texture. Some of the tracks are a bit more derivative, which can be expected in a sub-subgenre where you essentially have to sound like everyone else to be a part of it. "Video Vixen" is a bit uninspired, and the slower tracks like "They're Not Human" and the title track take a bit to get into. Otherwise the album is a solid debut by what is quickly becoming a force in the Swedish death metal scene.

7.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	Tenafly Viper
2.	Terror Has No Shape
3.	Overtaken by the Crawling
4.	They're Not Human
5.	Moonshine Mutation
6.	Video Vixen
7.	Brainwaves of Death
8.	Sheetar the Bloodqueen
9.	Dreadful Pleasures

Skeletal Spectre - Occult Spawned Premonitions

Skeletal Spectre brought the October spirit just in time for Halloween with another cult-horror meets Swedish death metal release on the horror-obsessed label Razorback. Although Razorback recently lost most of their appeal as a record label (they lost most of their best like Ghoul and Revolting), Skeletal Spectre's newest delivers. Occult Spawned Premonitions is a bit more mature and fun than their chunky-as-fuck 2009 debut. That's not to say this album isn't chunky either, as the riffs are ridiculously dense and bassy, and once again they never reach past a slow-headbang in tempo.

Actually tolerable female vocals, headbanging, and simplistic fun describe Occult Spawned Premonitions pretty well. "Scalped" and "Master Of The Muck" set your neck in motion while "Raw Head & Bloody Bones" slows things down to a crawl, but that just means you're making less repetitive neck movements, not that they're stopping altogether. The mid-paced nature of Occult Spawned Premonitions leaves a bit of room to breath and keeps the atmosphere from being too doom-esque like that of Tomb Coven. Vanessa Nocera's vocals are surprisingly fitting, especially on tracks like the aforementioned "Scalped." They reach their peak prominence on "Untimely Tomb" though, and get a bit grating without treading into annoying territory.

The album is littered with hardcore influence, as is traditional Swedish death metal. "Screams from the Asylum" is the most obviously influenced with its D-beats. The bleeding over of the notorious Razorback sound is pretty apparent with the opening riff to the title track. It's relatively similar to Revolting's "The Devil Witch" from their 2011 release as well. I guess since Revolting is no longer on Razorback it doesn't matter, but it is something I noticed. Otherwise a worthwhile but somewhat forgettable cult-horror romp from a cult-horror themed record label.

7.0 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	Scalped
2.	Master of the Muck
3.	Sekhmet Prowls the Azure Night
4.	Raw Head & Bloody Bones
5.	Untimely Tomb
6.	Screams from the Asylum
7.	Occult Spawned Premonitions
8.	Domain of the Fleshless Ones