CRAWL - Altar Of Disgust
May 9, 2024, a week ago
(Transcending Obscurity)
Swedish death ogres Crawl are back, after a lively split with labelmates Feral that I loved, and they're hitting the sweet spots again, opener “Undead Crypts” carrying with it just enough grime and sludge, hints of feedback and a slightly swampy production sound that is just perfect, blastbeats of “Throne Of Molten Bones” following it up with even more of what matters.
And what matters is the love of sloppy, d-beat-influenced galloping 'n' grimy DM, like “Curse Of The Morbid”, which brings to mind the mighty All Pigs Must Die. I love it when death metal is delivered like this, with some crust around the edges, everything just about falling apart, production quality also right on the edge. It's dangerous, it's alive, it's exciting, it's why DM with pristine production just doesn't hit the same way.
Crawl know what's up, and for every one of these 11 songs they keep it alive, each member racing to the finish line a frantic, frazzled mess. This will easily be one of the best death metal albums of 2024.
