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SENTIENT HORROR "In Service of the Dead"
SENTIENT HORROR "In Service of the Dead"
By Dr. Abner Mality
The concrete canyons of New Jersey are a continent away from Stockholm, Sweden, but you'd never know it listening to SENTIENT HORROR. Yep, these Joisey Boys love that Swedish chainsaw sound and you can hear that loud and clear on "In Service of the Dead".
I've heard the band name floating around for a few years now, but this is the first I've actually heard them. "The Way of Decay" sets up the gruesome feast by sounding like a cross between VOMITORY and GRAVE...not the worst thing for a lover of Swedish gore such as myself. SENTIENT HORROR favors the fast and punky side of the genre...they resemble DEFLESHED in that aspect. I've heard so much of this though that it's hard to say it makes a real lasting impact. The guitar sound is ALMOST as good as the real thing...the slurring, mush-mouthed vocals are ALMOST up to Stockholm standards. Almost, but not quite there.
There's also nothing particularly novel lyrically. Song titles like 'Glory to the Rotten", "Born In A Morgue" and "Cadaverous Hordes" promise more zombie action than a season of "The Walking Dead". But this, too, is part and parcel of the Swedish death metal experience. "In Service of the Dead" is comfort food for the musically morbid...satisfying but not quite next level. At least, not yet!
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