Have not been an 'addicted' fan of the Swedish extreme Metal scene anyway, have to admit. Still, with releases like this it's pretty sure Sweden has much more to offer in the traditional Death Metal scene, not just sticking to the overloaded Gothenburg sound/style. MY OWN GRAVE's new album, call it Necrology, has something good to propose to the genre's thirsty followers.
MY OWN GRAVE released their debut album Unleash in 2006, after fighting hard with a series of four demos to fit in the scene. Really good songs are featured in this 2009 effort, too, paying tribute to the groovy Death Metal patterns along with a variety in growling vocals and some (not much) grind-like parts. Presenting a fat, crystal clear production/mix, the songs bear a metallic mood flirting strong with - mainly - the American standards in terms of riffing and songparts coherence. Due to the sound itself, plus enough of the leads, it will not be a difficult task for the experienced listener to distinguish the band's nationality, hence fans of historic Scandinavian Death Metal bands shall also feel comfortable to the hearing of roaring tracks like Necrology, None Shall See and Cerecloth.
Mikael Aronsson's voice is trustworthy; he serves some soaring singing work full of tormenting brutality but nothing fake or pretentious; at least that's the feeling deriving from the album's audition. The musicians show some good work, too, with notable chemistry and serious consistency in the songs' composing layers. Most songs are not more than 3'30 in duration, resulting in a straightforward album with no enormous surprises. The lyrical theme is death and how it has shaped humanity and history, too, thus here comes another fitting piece in MY OWN GRAVE's submission.
Necrology is a strong non-modern Death Metal release by a band having the potential to mark the genre's books with its name/releases. Fans of GRAVE, SUFFOCATION, DEICIDE, UNLEASHED, VITAL REMAINS, MASTER and OBITUARY. Be sure to check it out, you hungry Death Metal enthusiast; some really good music lurks inside here.