Richard HolmesInfestdead – Satanic Serenades (Century Media)
Genre: Death Metal
Dan Swanö may be synonymous with Swedish death metal, but with Infestdead – a project which churned out two albums plus an EP in the 90s – he looked to Florida for inspiration. Together with ex-Marduk vocalist Dread, Swanö spat out a whole lot of anti-Christian invective, wrapped up in Deicide and Morbid Angel-inspired riffery and sounding like it was forged in the fires of Morrisound. The results were impressive, as you might expect, and Satanic Serenades is a naughty little package for those who missed Infestdead the first time around.
Bringing together 1997’s Hellfuck and 1999’s JesusSatan albums, plus the Killing Christ EP and demo material, this compilation is brimming with blasphemy and blastbeats, an infernal celebration of blood-soaked death metal which spans 41 tracks.
Swanö’s talent as a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist seeps deep into this work, and while there are a few duds across the collection, they are outnumbered by bursts of malevolence that Glen Benton would be proud of: songs like Heaven Denied and The New Empire, where chaotic solos lash out and lacerate flesh, or JesuSatan, with its unstoppable groove and inhuman vocals. Then there’s In The Spell of Satan, a track so maniacal it could summon the dark lord himself.
A worthwhile investment then? Hell yeah!
RUSHONROCK RATED: 8/10 Devilish