DESULTORY
Into Eternity
(Pulverised Records)
57:10min

Back in 1993, this Swedish band’s first full length album "Into Eternity" was released on Metal Blade Records. Death Metal was at its highest, if not just having peaked, and somehow these Swedes never received much glory, compared to many of their native bands or label mates, back then. Well, DESULTORY isn’t the typical Swedish Death Metal band, if you measure what we had back then. They did record their album in the Sunlight Studio and Tomas Skogsberg did produce it. Though back then the bulldozing Swedish Death Metal bands were much more downtuned and punky, in the middle of shifting towards a more melodic sound or Rock’n’Roll expression, and here we have a band with a lot of melodic elements and thrashy touches. A tad too early perhaps? Now Pulverised Records is ready with yet a re-issue of the band’s two first releases, which must mean that the good Swedes are starting to get acknowledgement, and the praise they actually deserve, as the albums are getting sold. This album is in my opinion the best from DESULTORY, closely followed by "Bitterness", a tour de force of great melodies and compositions with great progression and catchiness, and the perfect vocal attacks to back the music up. The intensity in the riffing and song writing drives the music forth, even though it seldom goes faster than mid-paced. The intensity is always a factor, even though how technical and progressive the songs become, even though how many melodic leads the band puts in, they keep the music pacing hard. It is very hard not to be drawn in and caught by the music and overall atmosphere, of beauty, aggression and desperation. And as a nice treat we are getting DESULTORY’s first demo "From Beyond", 4 tracks of a very raw version of the band, the melodic tendencies are present, and executed very well, though a more old school and standard form of Death Metal. Even though the boys already here have found their style, and something that is very close to their sound, and the vocals of Klas and Snake are all their own, as they continued to be. I find the demos of the band very interesting, as the raw sound and not too progressive style suits their thrashy Death Metal. After the first album, the band continued their path and released "Bitterness" which also is a quite nice album, that also just has been re-released, yet a star set in the sky of the Swedish Death Metal legacy. Then DESULTORY took a left turn and started to play Death’n’Roll on their third installment "Swallow The Snake" from 1996, and then I lost interest. Though always nice to take a trip down nostalgia road with the two first albums and the demos. Do check them out if you aren’t familiar with the band, and if you dig Swedish melodic Death Metal and the more modern twist of Thrash and melodic Death Metal. These guys were ahead of their time. www.facebook.com/pages/desultory/50447918404, www.pulverised.net

Anders Peter Jørgensen

Anders Peter Jørgensen

Related reviews / interviews:
DESULTORY - Darkness Falls (The Early Years) (Michael Kujawska)
DESULTORY - Through Aching Aeons (Carsten Lomme)
DESULTORY - Bitterness (Michael Kujawska)

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