MP3: Entombed - Masters of death
It took me way too long, but I finally finished Daniel Ekeroth's masterful book not too long ago, the self-explanatory "Swedish Death Metal". Entertaining, informative and inspirational -- it's amazing that a handful of Swedish teenagers managed to create their own internationally-recognized genre. It was a unique time, to be sure -- the underground scene still lives on today, but it will never be like it was back in the days of fanzines and tape trading. I was a few years late to the party myself, so I missed out on the first wave, but I definitely dug deep starting around 1994/95 when the whole Gothenburg melodic metal thing started (before it turned to shit). Swedish Death Metal is, after all, the early impetus for this site's creation and my appreciation of Scandinavian music in general, and now, with this book as my guide, I get to dig even deeper, tracking down old demos and connecting the dots for all the great bands I missed. Of course, there's no better starting point than Entombed and this track from 2007's "Serpent saints" offers a lyrical primer for further research. Know your history! Hail!
Entombed - Masters of death