BLOODGUTTER is a Danish death metal band. "Death Mountain" is their debut full-length album. It was recently released on Trollzorn Records. Their EPK describes the album as follows: "Musically "Death Mountain" comes off sounding very catchy, heavy, groovy, and gritty. The buzz-saw guitar tone alongside the genuine production makes you think of the golden years of death metal. Inspired by a vast array of bands, BLOODGUTTER has often been described as a bastard mix of Entombed and Obituary."

The first track, "Katabatic Death Wind," kicks off the album with a nice low, fat riff. The iconic riffs are the best part of the album. They take on an almost doom metal quality, reminiscent of DEATH and the aforementioned OBITUARY. Lau's vocals are low, yet legible growls and sound great with the accompaniment. The third track, "Artillery Supremacy," has a sarcastic, "feed the war machine" message akin to early MEGADETH. There is a strong thrash metal undercurrent throughout "Death Mountain" that is most evident on this track. The authoritative vocal delivery reminds me of "Morbid Visions" era SEPULTURA. There's a slow, marching breakdown near the song's end that gets me going in a major way. This track is also where the Swedish death metal influence of ENTOMBED and DISMEMBER comes through clearly.

Track five, "Down The Gutter," alternates between slow and fast riffing, with speedy vocal delivery. The vocals sound especially great in this song. The hook is catchy and just when you can fully appreciate the quality of Sorensen's guitar work, an equally as amazing breakdown follows. I can't say enough about the quality of the riffs.Tracks seven and ten, "Unternehmen Gericht" and "Jaws Of Death" respectively, are short, fast, and powerful numbers that get the blood racing. Both tracks have impressive "blech" sounds as well as some nice long growls. These two are pure aggression from start to finish and would be a tad overwhelming if they were any longer.

The final track, the aptly named, "Our Final Conflict," begins with a slow doom metal riff that, coupled with the drums, steadily builds up to breakneck speed. The riffs, both fast and slow, are up to BLOODGUTTER's already lofty standards. The breakdown and finale are some of the best on "Death Mountain."

"Death Mountain" is an excellent album. It is the perfect length, clocking in at just over thirty-seven minutes. That way, it isn't too much to handle in one sitting and it's light on self-indulgence. What BLOODGUTTER has created is a quality death metal album with a classic sound that harkens back to death metal's heyday. There isn't a second of filler and I can't stop recommending "Death Mountain" to all of my fellow headbangers.