Since Entombed first hit the metal scene with its debut album, Left Hand Path, this Swedish five piece set the standard for death metal to come. Morning Star takes the best moments of the band’s Wolverine Blues period and adds a few rollicking affairs. From “I For an Eye” to the nihilistic “About to Die,” this album is amazingly groovy, yet displays an unrelenting death-metal vibe. Frontman L.G. Petrov can indeed sing, and he sounds quite convincing on such moments as “Fractures” and “When It Hits Home.” And while former Entombed skinsman/songwriter Nicke Anderrson may have written some epic songs in his time, as evidenced on this latest longplayer, guitarists Alex Hellid and Uffe Cederlund can more than hold their ground in that department. Fans of the Crown, Sodom, or German thrash metal should eat this up like slobbering dogs.
(SN&R)