Entombed – DCLXVI To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth! – Review

Entombed

DCLXVI To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth! (Music for Nations)
by Scott Hefflon

The best thing about Entombed is that, buried underneath all the slash’n’burn death roaring and chainsaw production (courtesy, again, of Tomas Skogsberg whose credits alone would fill this page), there lies a rock’n’roll band. Some of the songs, stripped to their barest bones, are Kiss tunes, Black Sabbath riffs, and perhaps a little Zeppelin thrown in for good measure. Yet when you dump all the Entombed mayhem all over it like so much syrup on pancakes, the dish is a sweet-tooth’s wildest fantasy. A gruesome fantasy, to be honest, more of a nightmare really, but who the fuck asked me? “Parasight”‘s crowd-screaming intro is absolutely Kiss-tastic, and various other snippets and tidbits show Entombed to be not only extreme, but extremely talented in incorporating a variety of influences and making them all very Entombed. Possibly the largest compliment I can give a band, especially a heavy band, is to say they’ve got humor, a thorough sense of perspective, and a distinctive and undeniable style all their own. If you’re burning out to all the re-generated garbage in heavy music and want something new but with hints of familiarity, check out the new Entombed album with the long fuckin’ title.
(333 Latimer Rd London England W10 6RA)