Ever since I discovered Metal, and then swiftly Death Metal, in the mid-nineties Entombed were there. If you want to make me nostalgic for my misspent youth just stick Left Hand Path,  Clandestine or Wolverine Blues on its guaranteed to get me wishing I still had hair (and drank). Entombed A.D. have just done the exact same thing for me with their brand-new release, Bowels of Earth.

Opening with the frankly relentless Torment Remains you are left in no doubt as to who you are listening to with its traditional buzz saw guitar sound but with a 2019 depth and as LG Petrov’s distinctive voice bellows forth. All the time Drummer Olle Dahlstedt makes sure you are kept fully pummelled into submission.

Elimination comes galloping in next and takes you through a shifting soundscape of slabbing riffs and wandering solos, while Petrov’s catchy as hell chorus in Hell Is My Home could well get stuck in your head for weeks to come.

The title track, Bowels Of Earth, after a haunting brief intro, kicks into a fittingly ‘digging’ riff with all the urgency of a pneumatic drill to the brain. With a chorus and solos that feel almost symphonic and that main driving riff its fitting that this is the track to share the albums name.

If ever there was a song that was going to convince me fall off the wagon it could well be Bourbon Nightmare. I can almost smell the night before on my clothes listening to this sleazy, balls to the wall death groove, and I mean that in the best possible way.

Fit For A King is the first single from the album and this just cries old school. It sums up and defines Entombed A.D. and their mission statement for 2019 – making the old school new, rising from the ashes. Worlds Apart opens continuing that statement and thrashes along before taking you on a discordant journey to a completely different place.

In The Eyes Of The Gods is a hulking beast of a track that just has instant classic stamped all over it and this is followed by the truly anthemic I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive, another that I suspect will be gracing playlists for years to come.

The album comes to a close with the creeping and doom laden To Eternal Night. it’s dominated by Petrov’s haunted vocals until the end where the band and vocals come together to send us on our way.

Bowels Of Earth is a ferocious album that hits all the sweet spots of classic albums like Left Hand Path and Wolverine Blues but in a fresh and modern way. The drums of Dahlstedt are impeccable and relentless, Elgstrand and Miranda complement one another extremely well on guitar, and with a richer, fuller sound but one that is unmistakeable at the same time. They blend seamlessly from soaring solos to concrete slabs and grooving riffs that will keep you coming back for more. Capped off by the raw and visceral vocal style of Petrov it\’s clear that 2019 A.D. could well be the year of Entombed A.D. Jeff Goddard