My Own Grave

Necrology

Pulverised Records 2009

Sweden's death metal scene continues to regress towards its Stockholm roots.  Sundsvall's My Own Grave finds itself somewhere in the middle of this regression by embracing blackened guitarwork and crushing them up against meaty slabs of traditional riffs.  The title track is a perfect illustration of this as it launches into blasting black metal melodies and then shifting gears with hack n' slash death metal grooves.  Speedy sawing riffs and rapid fire drumming once again slams into a wall of chunky death metal gore.  None Shall See dwells between hills of uptempo blackened death and brutal echoes of Cannibal Corpse.  Heavy Bolthrower grooves crush the listener beneath their weight as Disciples of War steadily marches across blood smeared fields of rampant death.  The main riff on Bloodline Broken brings to mind Left Hand Path era Entombed, deep and obscure in its deathly onslaught.  Earthy viciousness similar to Grave dominates the songwriting on Exhumed to be Buried though there is a chilly and tranquil guitar solo which flies to the surface of the track.  Carnal Revelation's stands out with its thrashing melody and frenzied fretwork.  The track has a maniacally triumphant feel to it as it delights in homicidal depravity.  Mikael's vocals are a guttural rasp that is perfectly suited to My Own Grave's sound.  My Own Grave is solid death metal which accentuates its Stockholm-esque core with furious thrash riffs and black metal melodies and does it well.  However, Necrology seems somewhat middle of the road as it doesn't really stand out against the legion of peers crowding the underground.  So approach this album only as a lover of all things morbid and brutal.