Reissues of older releases are due the fact that the copies are all sold, and a new generation of fans is looking for material of a band. And some bands, as time passes by, earn a cult status, so the search for their materials becomes sensible. Having such idea in mind, it’s not a surprise to see this new reissue for “Those Shredded Dreams”, the first album of the legendary Swedish act FURBOWL. The band is a legend on Swedish Death Metal, because the name of Johan Axelsson (a.k.a Johan Liiva), the singer of BLACK EARTH: he played guitars, bass guitar and drums on this album; and if you’re into Swedish Death Metal, you know that he took part on acts as CARNAGE (he played bass guitar and made some vocals on the band’s demos), HEARSE and mainly due this singing on “Black Earth”, “Stigmata” and “Burning Bridges” (the first three albums of ARCH ENEMY).

And here, you’ll find a Death Metal act with deep roots on the classic outfit of the genre (besides some avant-garde parts can be heard, as the Gothic/Doom Death Metal scent on “Razorblades”), and many more. Pay attention: the year of 1992 (the original release year) was marked by many shifts into Death Metal, and the duet was spearheading them as well (besides never credited). Lach’n Jonsson worked as producer, sound engineer and did the recording, and Michael Amott (yes, the ARCH ENEMY founder, but on those days, he was with CARCASS) did the production and sound engineering as well (as played the guitar solos on “Damage Done” and “Nothing Forever”). And it’s not a sin to say that they followed the tendency of those days, with a sonority that is raw and aggressive, but that tried to make things as understandable as possible. And the artwork on this reissue is the same of the original.

On the 6 original songs of “Those Shredded Dreams” (namely “Damage Done”, “Nothing Forever”, “Razorblades”, “Desertion”, “Sharkheaven” and “Those Shredded Dreams”) can feel the same energy of Swedish Death Metal on those days, but with elements that were pointing to what the genre would be in the future. And on this reissue (as happened on 2009 reissue), here are songs of the band’s Demo Tapes (“Hymn for Nathalie Rose”, “Heart Inferno”, “Only Inhuman”, “Desertion”, “Shark Heaven”, and “Nothing Forever”) along with live tracks (“Shark Heaven”, “Razorblades”, and “Nothing Forever”), and two very good surprises: their live version for CARNAGE’s “Day Man Lost”, and VENOM’s “Buried Alive” (released on the compilation “Promoters of the Third World War (A Tribute to VENOM)” of P.A. Records), giving the fan a very good and special package.

This reissue of “Those Shredded Dreams” comes in a very good time, and maybe it can make justice for FURBOWL’s legacy.