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6 Under-Appreciated Classics Of Swedish Death Metal

Put down your Entombed, Dismember, Grave & Unleashed albums.....and listen to these instead!

Continuing in the vein of our under-appreciated UK, U.S & German thrash features, we’re now casting our critical eye over 6 under-appreciated classics of SWEDISH DEATH METAL…. and you can forget the big guns of the genre, as we’re focusing on those albums that tend to slip under the radar.

So, you’ll find no Entombed, no Grave, no Unleashed, no Dismember, no Hypocrisy….not even Carnage! More than enough has been said about these classics acts already. Instead, this feature is here to highlight those often under-appreciated / overlooked / even ‘forgotten’ Swedish death metal classics which deserve far more love!

Presented in alphabetical order as opposed to any sort of ranking:

Authorize – The Source Of Dominion (1991)

Authorize may have been a flash in the pan (they belched forth just the one album after all) but The Source of Dominion positively sizzled with primitive, meaty death metal goodness.

After a relatively misguided ambient opening, Authorize fortunately focused on smashing skulls with a typically Swedish knack for melody and groove hidden beneath the relentless chug of driving riffs.

Authorize weren’t really a band who excelled at complex time signatures but their knack for taking thrash tempos and adding an extra layer of diabolical evil helped to carve The Source Of Dominion out as an also ran….but one that deserves to be acknowledged for at least being in the race!


Carbonized – For The Security (1991)

Carbonized may be somewhat of a Swedish secret but those ‘in the know’ understand that few bands from the Swedish scene were embracing such a progressive, polyrhythmic attitude combined with the most primitive, yet organic, blast beats around!

With all 3 members of Carbonized having intrinsic ties with Therion, it should come as no surprise that with For The Security, boundaries were being unceremoniously broken and a progressive attitude to death metal prevailed!

Technically advanced yet wallowing in urbanised filth, Carbonized were a shrieking, guttural shock wave of influences; with this Swedish version of UK d-beat punk – spliced with grind and formative death metal – proving both revolutionary and unique among Swedish death metal bands of the early 90’s.

If You Liked This, You Also Need To Hear: The undeniably eccentric delights of 1993’s Disharmonization.


Desultory – Into Eternity (1993)

Into Eternity was the debut album from the perennially undervalued Desultory and despite its semi-obscure nature, this is an album of considerable importance and considerable skill from Sweden’s early 90’s death metal scene!

Sure, Into Eternity essentially repeated the same formula over and over – much like the majority of their compatriots – but when your thrashy, semi-melodic, semi-progressive death metal is as uniformly consistent and consistently impressive as this, variety can fuck off!

At this stage in their career, Desultory were the equals of their more famous peers and with an abundance of soaring, clean leads and expressive bass lines, Into Eternity is an album that should be celebrated for perfectly combining a keen sense of melody with ultimate aggression.

If You Liked This, You Also Need To Hear: The melodic death metal majesty of follow-up album, Bitterness. Beware those vocals though, they’re an acquired taste!


God Macabre – The Winterlong… (1993) 

God Macabre – The Winterlong... (1993, CD) - Discogs

God Macabre’s only album arrived fully formed in 1993 and, while they never managed to record a follow-up, it is testament to the quality of this obscure gem that we’re still talking about it all these years later.

God Macabre’s reign may have been short but it was decidedly sweet and The Winterlong’s occult horror atmosphere – enriched with a diversity often found wanting in death metal – means this intricate, varied, complex and bold album retains its allure. 

True connoisseurs of death metal know exactly how good this one of a kind album really is….while a welcome surprise awaits the uninitiated!


Gorement – The Ending Quest (1994)

Gorement – The Ending Quest (2020, Clear, Vinyl) - Discogs

Including one of the finest examples of death metal known to man – Swedish or otherwise – seems entirely fitting….and Gorement‘s The Ending Quest is god-tier death metal from a band who sadly failed to follow-up this genre defining moment.

Not many albums earn the accolade of being flawless but The Ending Quest is one such album. From production to song writing, atmosphere to lyrical content, Gorment were masters of their craft and this devastatingly heavy, yet strangely melancholy exercise in sonic brutality is a unique moment in Swedish death metal history.

The perfect companion piece to Entombed‘s Left Hand PathGorement left an indelible mark with their one and only album and its standing as a landmark in the underground Swedish death metal scene remains undiminished.


Sorcery – Bloodchilling Tales (1993)

Heavy on atmosphere, the chilling (some might say ‘bloodchiling’) sounds found on Sorcery‘s debut album should have pegged them as serious contenders. Instead, they fell sadly by the wayside but that’s no reason for dismissing them now!

There was nothing generic or ‘formula’ about Sorcery‘s distinct death metal, with the band conjuring magic from their classic horror influenced samples and interludes, ultimately creating a ghoulish blast of Hammer Horror death metal in the process.

That’s not to say that the fundamentals weren’t in place – Bloodchiling Tales was produced by the legendary Tomas Skogsberg at Sunlight Studios and that “buzzsaw” guitar tone is obviously ever present – but Sorcery were doing something different; challenging the status quo with rhythmic gutturals that grooved with the riffs, subtly using keyboards to create a heckle-raising atmosphere and delivering variances in tempo which occasionally bordered on death-doom.

If You Liked This, You Also Need To Hear: 2013’s Arrival At Six and 2016’s Garden Of Bones were both excellent comeback records.

Have we forgotten your favourite under-appreciated Swedish death metal album? We have! Well, pop it in the comments section below then…. but remember this, ANOTHER 6 Under-Appreciated Classics Of Swedish Death Metal is already in the works!

About Chris Jennings (1996 Articles)
I love metal. Always have. Always will. As editor of Worship Metal - a site dedicated to being as positive about metal and its myriad of sub-genres as possible - my aim is to 'worship' metal through honest reviews, current news and a wide variety of features; offering the same exposure to underground bands as we do to mainstream/well known acts. Our mantra; the bands are partners and we exist to serve the bands \m/

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