UMUR "The Fathomless Mastery" is the 3rd full-length studio album by Swedish death metal act Bloodbath. The album was released through Peaceville Records in October 2008. There have been two lineup changes since the release of "Nightmares Made Flesh (2004)" as lead vocalist Peter Tägtgren has been replaced by a returning Mikael Åkerfeldt, and guitarist/bassist Dan Swanö has been replaced by Per 'Sodomizer' Eriksson. The remaining members of the lineup are Anders Nystrom (guitars), Jonas Renkse (bass), and Martin Axenrot (drums). All prolific names who are associated with acts like Opeth, Katatonia, and Witchery. This lineup was however already in place for the recording of the "Unblessing the Purity" EP from March 2008.

Stylistically the material on the 11 track, 41:38 minutes long album continue the old school death metal style of its predecessors, but with the same slightly more brutal twist that the band had also applied to the "Unblessing the Purity (2008)" EP. I´m not sure if it´s a production trick, but Bloodbath just sound a lot more brutal on both the EP and on "The Fathomless Mastery", than they do on the preceding releases. As always the listner is treated to high level musicianship, which isn´t surprising considering the musicians involved. Tägtgren did a great job on "Nightmares Made Flesh (2004)", but the return of Åkerfeldt is also welcome. He delivers a strong and commanding growling vocal performance throughout the album.

Although the brutality factor is turned up a notch, "The Fathomless Mastery" is otherwise not an album featuring many surprises. Bloodbath were never about surprises though and what you get here is the epitome of high quality old school death metal, played by seasoned veterans of the genre...and don´t mistake that as meaning dinosaurs, because these guys deliver their music with a youthful passion and a burning conviction. This album reeks high class in all departments from musicianship, to songwriting, to the powerful, detailed, and brutal sound production.

One of the strenghts of Bloodbath is that they are equally interesting when they play heavy parts as when they play fast and they seamlessly combine tempos and various riff styles on their songs. A brutal fast-paced track like "Slaughtering the Will to Live" is for example followed by the heavy "Mock the Cross", but you are never in doubt that it´s the same band playing. Not all tracks stand out equally much, but all tracks are consistent in quality and style, so there is not much difference between the best tracks on the album and the least remarkable ones. Upon conclusion "The Fathomless Mastery" is yet another high quality death metal release by Bloodbath and a 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Unblessing the Purity" is an EP release by Swedish death metal act Bloodbath. The EP was released through Peaceville Records in March 2008. It bridges the gap between the band´s 2nd and 3rd full-length studio albums "Nightmares Made Flesh (2004)" and "The Fathomless Mastery (2008)". There have been two lineup changes since the release of "Nightmares Made Flesh (2004)" as lead vocalist Peter Tägtgren has been replaced by a returning Mikael Åkerfeldt, and guitarist/bassist Dan Swanö has been replaced by Per 'Sodomizer' Eriksson. The remaining members of the lineup are Anders Nystrom (guitars), Jonas Renkse (bass), and Martin Axenrot (drums). All prolific names who are associated with acts like Opeth, Katatonia, and Witchery.

Stylistically the 4 tracks on the 15:39 minutes long EP continue the old school Swedish death metal style of "Nightmares Made Flesh (2004)", although it´s generally a little faster paced and slightly more brutal. Mikael Åkerfeldt´s growling vocals are slightly more gutteral and less aggressive compared to Peter Tägtgren´s ditto, but it´s not a change that makes a major difference as both are great growling vocalists.

"Blasting the Virginborn" opens the EP in a convincing brutal manner. It´s the kind of death metal track which will leave you breathless as a result of the intensity and brutality on display. Bloodbath are more than just a brutal death metal act though, and they successfully incorporate heavier parts and semi-melodic guitar themes/leads, which ensures variation and dynamics. "Weak Aside" is another really strong track and the same can be said about both "Sick Salvation" and "Mouth of Empty Praise".

So the compositional part of the album and the performances by the band are of high class, and when those elements are paired with the raw, powerful, and brutal sounding production featured on "Unblessing the Purity", it makes for one intense death metal listen. It´s no coincidence that Bloodbath are often mentioned among the greatest retro death metal acts on the scene. They are not only skilled musicians, but also understand how to write a death metal tune which has great impact on the listener. A 4.5 star (90%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "The Arrow of Satan Is Drawn" is the 5th full-length studio album by Swedish death metal act Bloodbath. The album was released through Peaceville Records in October 2018. It´s the successor to "Grand Morbid Funeral" from 2014 and it´s the second Bloodbath album to feature Nick Holmes (Paradise Lost) on lead vocals. There´s been one lineup change since the predecessor as guitarist Per "Sodomizer" Eriksson has been replaced by Joakim Karlsson.

"The Arrow of Satan Is Drawn" continues the old school Swedish death metal style of the predecessors, but there is an added coldness to the band´s sound, that I don´t recall hearing before. I wouldn´t call it black metal by any means (this is through and through a death metal release), but the colder and more harsh sound of the music on "The Arrow of Satan Is Drawn" do occasionally point in that direction, which is already heard on the opening "Fleischmann". It´s nice to hear that an established act like Bloodbath haven´t forgotten that the most interesting artists make sure to evolve and develop their core sound throughout their career. The slight death´n´roll influenced main riff on "Wayward Samaritan" is another standout moment on the album, which is a bit different from what we are used to hearing from Bloodbath.

Not to worry though, if the above new elements don´t sound like your poison, because that´s just what they are...elements of the core old school death metal style, which Bloodbath as always deliver with fierce conviction and passion. Add to that clever songwriting and high level musicianship and "The Arrow of Satan Is Drawn" is yet another high quality death metal release by Bloodbath. The album also features a raw and detailed sound production, which suits the material perfectly, so upon conclusion a 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.

UMUR "Grand Morbid Funeral" is the 4th full-length studio album by Swedish death metal act Bloodbath. The album was released through Peaceville Records in November 2014. It´s been quite a few years since the release of their 3rd full-length studio album "The Fathomless Mastery (2008)", but Bloodbath has always been a side-project for the members, and something they´ve done when they had some time off from their main acts. Both Opeth and Katatonia, where all members of "The Fathomless Mastery (2008)" lineup are active, are rather prolific acts with a busy scedule, but 2014 was the year when the members of Bloodbath once again had time to gather for the recording of an album. There´s been one rather significant change in the lineup since "The Fathomless Mastery (2008)" though, as lead vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt has been replaced by Nick Holmes (Paradise Lost), which makes it a first time, for a non-Swede to be added to the lineup.

That doesn´t change the fact that "Grand Morbid Funeral" stylistically is old school Swedish death metal to the bone. Buzzing guitar tone, good rhytmic variation between doomy beats, D-beats, heavy mid-paced and faster paced parts, and even the odd blasting section. Compared to his predecessor Nick Holmes brings a less guttural growling and more morbid sounding vocal style to the table. An intelligible growling vocal style which suits the music on "Grand Morbid Funeral" very well. He sounds a bit different now from how he sounded on the early Paradise Lost albums, but he is just as convincing here as he was back in the late 80s/early 90s.

The change on the lead vocalist spot definitely makes "Grand Morbid Funeral" stand out in the band´s discography, but then again, no one can accuse Bloodbath of making the same album twice. They may only tweak their old school Swedish death metal sound slightly from release to release, but it´s enough for each album to stand out, which is actually quite the achievement considering the usually strict boundaries/stylistic limitations of the genre. In addition to guitars, bass, drums, and vocals, the band have added atmospheric keyboards to some of the tracks. They are always kept tastefully in the back of the soundscape, and never overshadows the more metal oriented instrumentation, but they still bring a dark majestic impact whenever they appear.

The 11 track, 46:31 minutes long album features high quality material through and through, but tracks like the opening "Let the Stillborn Come to Me", the occult and doomy "Church of Vastitas", and the absolutely brilliant title track, are among the highlights on "Grand Morbid Funeral". A few tracks might not be as distinct sounding and memorable as the above mentioned, but all tracks are still of great quality taken one by one.

The album features a heavy, raw, and powerful sound production, which brings out the best in the equally raw music, and when that music is played by skilled musicians, who deliver with both passion and conviction, it´s hard to ask for more. Bloodbath has done it again, and created an old school Swedish death metal album of an incredibly high quality, which only a select few can muster. We´re dealing with the absolute elite of old school death metal here, and "Grand Morbid Funeral" is yet another ten ton hammer to set things straight. A 4.5 star (90%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Breeding Death" is a 3 track, 13:14 minutes long EP release by Swedish death metal act Bloodbath. The EP was released through Century Media Records in February 2000. Bloodbath are what you can safely call a death metal supergroup. The band feature Mikael Åkerfeldt on lead vocals, Anders "Blakkheim" Nyström on Guitar & Backing Vocals, Jonas Renske on Bass & Backing Vocals and Dan Swanö on drums & Backing Vocals. All four of them among the most influential musicians on the Swedish metal scene. Opeth, Katatonia and Edge of Sanity are some of the more well known acts that they´ve been/or still are involved with. Either collectively or individually. As far as I understand the Bloodbath project was only meant to be a one-off affair, but because of the popularity of "Breeding Death", Bloodbath (with a couple of lineup changes along the way) went on to record three full-length studio albums and one more EP.

From the get go the intention was always to play old school Swedish death metal. At this point many of the projects that these guys were involved with had taken on a more progressive or sophisticated direction and Bloodbath was a vehicle for them to play the music that they loved when they were young.

...and that´s exactly how "Breeding Death" sounds like. Really seasoned musicians coming together to play the music they played when they were young, and with youthful energy and enthusiasm to boot. These guys know exactly how to write an old school Swedish death metal tune and make it catchy and effectful. So while the 3 tracks on "Breeding Death" don´t add anything new to the old school Swedish death metal songwriting manual, it´s still a damn entertaining release to fans of the genre. It´s well played, well produced and well written. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved. Play it loud...!!!