Mikael Akerfeldt's vocals possess that elusive "command" that seems to emerge once in a blue moon. The closest comparison I could make would be 'Covenant'-era David Vincent. Each syllable of each and every word is thrown out with just the right amount of venom and authority. Diction is key and Akerfeldt is in fine form here.
I personally found the previous two Bloodbath albums to be rather pedestrian attempts at conjuring fourth the ancient Swedish sound. Sure, I give them props for choosing to go that route at a time when Sweden was pumping fourth one shitty melodo-death band after another ala In Flames, but I felt that they hadn't quite gone "all the way" and came up just a wee bit short of convincing me that this was indeed a genuine endeavor. Come album number three and I have become a full fledged, card carrying member. There is no doubt in my mind that Bloodbath is the real deal as The Fathomless Mastery pisses on and makes a mockery out of its predecessors.
The riffing here is quite bizarre and you can clearly tell that the band have finally got a grasp of their own identity instead of merely and halfheartedly aping the bands that they were initially honoring. The fact that so many people have written the band off after hearing this album just confirms to me how many fucking idiots there are on this planet that would rather listen to soulless and generic retreads for the umpteenth time in their lives. Sure, Bloodbath aren't reinventing the wheel here but it's clearly evident that TFM sees the band attempting to move forward all the while staying the course.
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