That's When I Became A Satanist

If you're a real fan of heavy music, you're probably wondering what more I'll be able to say about Entombed that hasn't already been said before? I could tell you about how, from the ashes of Nihilist, five young Swedes created "Left Hand Path", one of the most legendary albums in the history of Death Metal. I could tell you about how they followed it up with "Clandestine", an even more extreme and technical piece of brutal music that die-hard fans still wage war over.

I could tell you about how the band did something completely unexpected, and followed it up with "Wolverine Blues" which, due in part to its simplicity and focus on pure divine heaviness, remains one of the true undisputed classics of Metal to this day. I could say how they went even further into the rockin' world after that with the brilliant and sometimes overlooked, "To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak The Truth". I could also mention the disaster that followed those excellent records, in the form of "Same Difference", an album most Entombed fans (myself included) almost refuse to even acknowledge as part of their discography.

But, I won't. Instead, I'm going to tell you about Entombed's last four albums, all of which are criminally underrated everywhere except for the halls of Funeral South. For some reason, a lot of people seem to forget that Entombed has released more albums than the first four. For those of us who have continued listening, with eager anticipation for everything this band does, that's not the case at all.

The first of these overlooked albums is 2000's "Uprising". This record is most affectionately known by some of us as "The Motorhead Album" and for good reason. It seemed like Entombed was legitimately channeling Lemmy and Co. on this album, and doing a great job of it. It was also the second album to feature drummer Peter "Flinta" Stjarnvind, who joined the band after Nicke Andersson's departure. Flinta definitely unleashed the beast on this record, delivering one of the most punishing drum performances I've ever heard put to tape. No digitizing, no computer fix-ups, just raw aggression.

As far as overall song quality goes, Entombed delivers with each and every track. It's the band channeling their most punk rock tendencies and sounding more like they tracked this in a dirty rehearsal room in Stockholm than an actual studio. Songs like "Say It In Slugs", "Won't Back Down", and "Returning To Madness" are some of the best in their entire catalog. It also features a cover of Dead Horse's "Scottish Hell" that puts the original to shame.

The follow-up to this album was 2001's "Morning Star". They couldn't have picked a stronger follow-up to "Uprising" than this beast of an album, nor a more blasphemous one at that. As the title suggests, "Morning Star" pays total tribute to Satan and all of his glory. Musically, it's the cleanest Entombed has ever sounded. The production was simply ace, and didn't sacrifice a single ounce of heaviness for the sake of clarity.

Song quality is even sicker than "Uprising", with tracks like "Chief Rebel Angel", "Out of Heaven", "City of Ghosts" and "I For An Eye" storming out of the gates with reckless abandon and gutting everything in their path. If any album could have launched Entombed back into the spotlight they deserve, it should have been this one. I don't understand why and how that didn't happen, and if you have listened to this album as much as I have, you hopefully share my confusion.

The next album was 2003's "Inferno". Quite honestly, I think this is what Entombed was going for on "Same Difference". It's a dirty, filthy, Rock and Roll album without sacrificing the Metal attitude that was sorely missing on "Same Difference". The production is raw, nasty, and reeks of the blues. Every single song is an absolute banger, with the notable standouts being "The Fix Is In", "Children of The Underworld", "That's When I Became A Satanist" and "Nobodaddy".

"Inferno" was also the last record to feature Uffe Cederland, Jorgen Sandstrom, and Peter Stjarnvind. Uffe went on to play in Disfear, Jorgen now plays in Vicious Art, and Peter made the best choice of all, joining up with Nifelheim. After that, everyone was somewhat unsure of what awaited Entombed, but four years later, we had our answer.

2007's "Serpent Saints" was evil. Pure...evil. In fact, I'll go as far as to say it is the most evil sounding Entombed record to ever be released. The guys definitely had a lot to prove with this one, with all of the member losses and so many years between this and "Inferno". With L.G. Petrov and Alex Hellid being the sole original members remaining, bassist Nico Elgstrand and drummer Olle Dahlstedt stepped into the fold with absolute ease.

Song for song, I can't name a single weak track on "Serpent Saints" at all. "Ministry", the title track, "Thy Kingdom Koma" and "When In Sodom" are some of the most vintage sounding Entombed songs since "Wolverine Blues". The production is still raw, much like "Inferno", but it works just as well with faster, metallic songs as it did with the rockin' tracks on the past album.

The bottom line in all of this is that Entombed is still here, still relevant, and still making great music. If you haven't had the chance, find out for yourself. I don't think you'll be disappointed. It's been 4 years now since they gave us "Serpent Saints" and I can only hope album number 10 is just around the corner. Until next time, stay heavy.


Entombed- Uprising (2000)

Entombed- Morning Star (2001)

Entombed- Inferno (2001)

Entombed- Serpent Saints (2007)