Swedish Death Metal became a ‘trademark’ genre due the peculiar elements on it, especially the ‘jigsaw’ guitar tunes (besides it’s not the only different element of the genre). Obviously that ENTOMBED, CARNAGE and DISMEMBER laid the foundations of the genre on their early days, but their inheritance is still available for anyone to use. Some use their features wisely, breathing new life on it and trying to express themselves; others only copy what was already done (a ‘fan band’, if one can understand the irony of these words). XORSIST, as a Swedish Death Metal band, inherited such load, but what is depicted on “At the Somber Steps to Serenity” is that they need to evolve a bit more.

The trio uses two different vocalists, and such fact earns them a different taste to their music. But the album sounds as a recollection of the Old School Swedish Death Metal sometimes, as a ‘fan band’ that can’t stay away from their influences. Of course that in some moments their musical personality arises (as heard on some Groove and technical parts of “Coterie of the Depraved”), but clearly they have potential to be great, and not a kind of rip off of DISMEMBER. The album shows some very good ideas, indeed, but that are lost into a mass of clichés sometimes. The energy is amazing, the aggressiveness as well, so they have potential. It’s a matter of using it.

The trio worked with two great sound engineers on the studio: Tomas Skogsberg (on the production and mixing, and he is famous for being one of the creators of the ‘jigsaw’ guitar sound) and Iñaki Marconi (on the production, mixing and mastering as well, and he is known for his works with CARCASS and SEPULTURA). They did what the band seems to look for: to have a sound quality similar to “Like an Everflowing Stream” and “Left Hand Path”. In other words, something putrid and nasty, but defined. It works, but their music could be better worked as well.

As written above, the trio bears personality and potential, but is working in a wrongs way. There are moments on songs as “Carve It Out” (some good guitar arrangements can be heard on this one), “Imitation” (the clear Hardcore traces are very good and hooking, with simple and efficient drumming and bass playing), “Coterie of the Depraved” (where some Groove touches in the middle of the blast beats can be heard), “Distorted Shapes” (there are moments where traces of ENTOMBED can be heard clearly, but the technical appeal of some riffs if very good), and “At the Somber Steps to Serenity” that depict a band with tons of musical possibilities, and it’s better than be known as a ‘fan band’ of ENTOMBED or DISMEMBER.

Let’s hope that XORSIST can be in a better and personal way in the future. “At the Somber Steps to Serenity” is just for Death Metal fans that don’t care if listening to a band is similar to others.