"Doomsday & Salvation" is the debut album from the Swedish death metal band, THE GRIFTED. The album is released by Personal Records. Made up of Swedish death metal royalty, this band knows how to deliver a quality product. The album manages to mix things up with traditional Swedeath delivered with a hardcore punk flavor. This is especially true with Lindström's vocals. The first track of note is "Behind Me In Ruins." After a doom-metal-inspired introduction, this track pounces with galloping down-tuned guitars and grimy, caustic shouted vocals. The intensity of this track reminds me of early HATEBREED. THE GRIFTED knows how to go hard, and that is evident on every one of this album's eleven tracks.

Track four, "Bleed Before My Eyes," quickly gets up to speed. The vocals, while deep growls have almost a black metal rasp to them. With an enormous grunt, the song ramps up the violence. This is a pure Swedish death metal onslaught. Jonas Ohlsson's drumming is an unstoppable force and is displayed well on this track. "The Maggots Feast" is my favorite track. The insanely fast intro lasts for a full minute and charges forward like a steam locomotive. The guitar work is spot on. It's more than a bunch of down-tuned chugging. It is the most dynamic, well-written song. Every element of this song is elevated by each member's performance.

"This Place Of Madness" is more groove-oriented, with its spot-on riffs and perfectly timed pauses. The drumming through the first breakdown is inspired. It is also another heavy-hitter. Again, there is plenty of chugging, but the song is so well-structured that every beat is where it belongs. The eighth track, "When A Phoenix Dies," starts with a roar from Lindström and keeps the intensity going throughout. I love the parts where the instrumentation matches the cadence of his singing. The breakdown is brutal and hits like a truck. There are a couple of breaks to keep things interesting and this track is another highlight.

The final track, "Doomsday And Salvation," starts with some great kick drum fills. The music alternated between death metal fury and slower, more deliberate passages. Again, Ohlsson's drumming is furious and precise. The song ends with a sample of the televangelist, Kenneth Copeland preaching about being released into "real life," a fitting end to an excellent album. "Doomsday & Salvation" the album, prominently features chugging guitar parts on every track. At best, the guitar work can be tiring. At worst, it can come off sounding uninspired. There is still more than enough variety to keep the best tracks interesting. With this album, THE GRIFTED will steamroll you with each member giving an intense performance. Also, repeated listens reveal more subtlety than first impressions might dictate. Ultimately, this is an exciting debut and I'm looking forward to more of their output in the future.