UMUR
"Crawl" is an EP release by Swedish death metal act Entombed. The 3 track, 13:17 minutes long EP was originally released in 1990 by Earache Records. Lead vocalist Lars-Göran Petrov had been fired from the band after a dispute (alledgedly over one of the other bandmembers girlfriend) and Entombed recruited Orvar Säfström from Nirvana 2002 to record the vocal parts on this release (and tour with the band in support of the EP). "Crawl" was released on both CD, vinyl and cassette tape.
The music is old school Swedish death metal. "Crawl" is the first track on the EP. It would also be featured in a re-recorded version on the 1991 "Clandestine" album. It´s actually quite a sophisticated death metal track and a favorite of mine. This version is slightly more stripped down than the version that would appear on "Clandestine", but the track is more or less the same. "Forsaken" sounds more or less like the material on "Left Hand Path (1990)" and the link to that album is further strengthened by the re-recorded version of "Bitter Loss" that closes the EP. While not being the most interesting growler, Orvar Säfström´s performance is decent and suits the music well.
While "Crawl" is mostly a fan release, the quality of the material is very high and I think a 3.5 star rating is warranted. It´s definitely an interesting release that bridges the gap between "Left Hand Path" and "Clandestine". Especially the title track showcases the rapid development in sound Entombed had in their early years.