1. Entrails
Current Release: Raging Death Label : Metal Blade Records See those burly dudes in the image above? That's Swedish death metal personified in beards and harsh scowls. There's no smiling in Death metal. Though 3 albums into a career that started and stopped before it really began in 1990, Entrails gets a mention here because after two critically acclaimed albums on the mighty Dark Descent records, they jumped ship to Metal Blade home to such death metal luminaries as Vader, Cannibal Corpse and Amon Amarth. This means these guys will be getting a lot more exposure and recognition as the unquestioned leaders of the current Swedish death metal revival. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVN__oTeIno Still playing riffs he created 15 years ago on the band's third album, founder Jimmy Lundqvist acknowledges the bands heavy Entombed influence, even down to the font used for the moniker. And how about the band's take on the Phantasm soundtrack on "The Cemetery Horrors", that Entombed made famous with "Left Hand Path"? And with a guitar tone that sounds like 2 Boss HM pedals making sweet love while Into the Grave, Left Hand Path and Like an Ever Flowing watch lovingly, and a catchier , groovier approach to song writing than the previous albums, Entrails look to explode into the world scene and ensure the mid range revival never gets stale.
Honorable Mentions: Downfall of Gaia, Deafheaven, Enshine, Beyond Terror Beyond Grace, Voices, Altar of Plagues, Nails, Binah, Panopticon, Trollfest, Cerekloth.