Entombed - Left Hand Path.

When Sweden's Entombed dropped 'Left Hand Path' in 1990, the bar was raised forever.

It is a triple threat kind of record; riffs that hammer your skull, brutal stomping beatdowns and a legitimate groove. Subsequent records would evolve their sound further (see the title) but it is this album that would heavily imprint on modern metal and inform bands like Nails, Rotten Sound and Trap Them.

Man that tone. THAT TONE! Entombed's signature sound has seeped through the igneous death metal landscape over the years of which many bands have supped from, like a brutal mineral water. If you've ever marvelled at the Boss HM2 buzzsaw sound, you've heard THIS. Guitarists Alex Hellid and Uffe Cederland trade blows on tracks 'Bitter Loss', 'Drowned' and the title track with a rock and roll sensibility, everything thrash and grooves all at the same time.

Nicke Anderson on drums slays, his snare approach feels like he's force feeding you the thing, it's relentless. LG Petrov has a rich, deep roar on vocals, it feels so violent, especially on 'Supposed to Rot' and 'Left Hand Path'. This record is not melodic or particularly progressive, it's direct and unapologetic.

Finished off by a fantastic Dan Seagrave cover, 'Left Hand Path' cemented Entombed's reputation as one of the Swedish DM greats. Sadly, LG Petrov passed away earlier this year which puts a lid on a possible classic lineup reunion. So we suggest getting amongst this gold, set it loud and start windmilling! He would love that.