Smothered - The Inevitable End (2013)

As with most "throwback" outfits I'm having trouble with this one. It's not that they suck and they certainly know how to handle their instruments as well as pen a tune, but as is the case with most of these types of bands they're lacking that seemingly elusive bit of mojo that made acts like Entombed, Carnage and Incantation so frighteningly morbid in ages past.

The other thing is that I swear the band outright lifts whole riffs from out of the forests that surround the Left Hand Path. Sure, I've toyed with the notion that it is indeed possible that they are merely paying homage to the masters but jeez...

Overall, the sound is great, I mean, 9/10 you cannot go fucking wrong with the ol' tried and true B-HM 2 and Smothered have certainly done their homework in regards to its utilization and manipulation. Unfortunately though there are just not enough true "horrific" and bizarre moments on here to justify a revisit. I can say that I'll most certainly keep an eye out for them in the future as this is their debut and I've heard far worse when it comes to first albums but for now I'll stick with the new Corpsessed.