European Death Metal band, SWARMING, was a collaboration between two guys with a history for making brutal Death Metal. They released a compilation album in 2015 called "Cacophany of Ripping Flesh" and if that name doesn't get under your skin, (sorry had to go there!) the music definitely will. Sad to say these guys broke up in 2012 so this album is all stuff they recorded back in the day and finally released.

The opening song "The Hideous Incantation" starts off with staccato drumbeats by Lasse Pyykko that feels like a pounding heartbeat crashing against your eardrums in the best way. The guttural and harsh vocals by Rogga Johansson, are classic death metal at its best, bringing harshness to the dramatic and violent music. The second offering, "Reeking of the Bowels" has a more electrical feel, setting up the vocals with even more power. "It Came from the Graveyard" has a haunting drum beat like the pounding hooves of a horse as it runs you down, adding a sense of urgency to the track. "Hacksaw Holiday" takes it slow at times, letting you feel the notes echoing through and making for a nice change of pace from the previous songs.

Occasionally making vocalizations that remind me of hissing, roaring, and choking, "Feasting on Drowned Flesh" sounds like something out of a horror movie, really making you hear the sound of a monster eating its prey. "Amputation Frenzy" has a more hushed tone and rapid pace while the hi-hat punctuates the vocals. Stepping up the speed again, "Convulsing into Eternal Doom" has an awesome distortion added to the vocals, as if heard from the other end of a tunnel, like struggling to hear someone speak as you black out. The last song on the album, "Premature Embalming" has a fast and fierce grinding sound that makes you think of bone saws and grinding metal.

Definitely pulling from bands like CARCASS and DISMEMBER, these guys are real-deal Death Metal all the way and if that's not your thing you won't be able to appreciate SWARMING and their savage music. You can definitely tell this is a compilation album but that means the music doesn't get stale or feel like one song rehashed; each piece has its own flair. Its nothing new to fans of the genre...and that's not a bad thing. You know what you want from the music and they definitely deliver.<