Grave
Endless Procession Of Souls

Picking a band name like Grave, Death or something else in that vein makes it pretty clear that your goal isn't to become a new Abba already from the beginning. Instead it feels like the goal for Grave is to become legends within death metal, and to beat Entombed as that one band you think of first when you thinking of Swedish detah metal (that doesn't come from Gothenburg).

However, to beat Entombed in the fight for number one in Swedish death metal (that doesn't come from Gothenburg) is something that neither Grave or bands like Dismember or any other will ever succeed in doing because for some strange reason Entombed has become the face of everything death metal from Sweden (that doesn't come from Gothenburg) and regardless of what every other band tries to do they will remain so. Grave began a few years before Entombed and with this time they've returned to Century Media, the label they started their career with some 20 years ago after a couple of albums on Regain records. It's an album that is true to the standard shaped Grave (on the cemetery and six feet deep) and it doesn't seem like they've had anything extra special saved in their coffin to get out in this special moment when everything felt perfect for it. Instead this is "just" a normal album by this Swedish death factory (that doesn't come from Gothenburg) and all that radical or super extra special you might have hoped for from them are just dreams you'll have to save for the future.

You might still like it, and I think you'll do if you have done so in the past but let's just go through the album for those who haven't. You know those really deep stomach burps you can do when you've drunk very much beer or soda? Well, that's the kind of sound Ola Lindgren does and calls it vocals. The sounds that accompanies these burps are some of the most monotonous guitars I've ever heard from the Stockholm death scene, with the exception of track eight - Perimortem - that sounds more like something in a NES-videogame like enemy music in Megaman seventyeight or something. I think I've understood why these death metal bands (that doesn't come from Gothenburg) makes this kind of simplistic music without anything complex - it's because of the high variety of members in these bands so to make it easy for all the new musicians that are coming and going they all sound more or less the same so the band can keep touring even when members are getting replaced. At least that's how it sounds - make guitars easy, drums easy, melodies easy and so on. Grave is no exception, they've changed members a lot in the past and in the Grave ano 2012 we find three members entering since they last were on Century Media (back in 2006) and two of these are even recording their first grave album with 'Endless procession of Souls' but honestly I think they do a good job because I can't hear anything particularly different with this album compared to their earlier ones.

If I didn't know that Grave had three new guys in the band I'd almost thought they never changed anyone - partly because they play very tight and well together and partly because they do their special thing once again. i guess it's easier to do this when you consider that all of them are experienced and has been in the game for some time (and as I said earlier - we're not talking Dream Theater here, it doesn't take too much to do the same thing). I guess the hardest thing for a replacement is to get in with the band and find that groove death metal bands (that doesn't come from Gothenburg) so much needs to give that special feeling. In fact, i'd say the groove is the single most important thing in a death metal band (that doesn't come from Gothenburg), the groove and feeling - not making fantastic music. So how does grave succeed with the groove? And the feeling? Well… so so, not great. I think they get the groove right, it's almost Entomby and the bass kind of Motörhead dumbelidumbelidomb-ing around, but with dark guitars and grooooaaaawlsss. But the feeling? Where's the feeling? The only feeling I have is a growing urge to turn it off!

It's not that I don't like death metal, I really do - even the one that doesn't come from gothenburg (or sounds like they do), though I normally like that death metal better. But honestly, i've never been too much in to the Stockholm death and Grave is a typical Stockholm death band and 'Endless Procession Of Soul' is a pretty typical Grave album. It's good if you like that, less good if you're me.

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