Amongst the current generation of Swedish bands determined to refresh the death metal of old, only Morbus Chron managed to fulfil their early promise, whereas reaction towards Miasmal’s first two albums seemed muted compared to all the accolades their demo had received just a year prior.
Was it because with members coming from the d-beat scene (Agrimonia, Martyrdöd), everyone was expecting a crustier sound? Or was it down to the band being torn between reliving the glory days of early Entombed and moving forward?
The plot thickens with their third full-length. Tides Of Ominiscence is their most rock-oriented material yet, even verging on early 90s power metal – an impression cemented by a shredder on lead guitar who’s been studying Gary Holt’s solos.
But the production doesn’t have the dirt or the bigger-than-thou dynamic to lift it all up, and the croaked, mundane vocals block all their attempts to reach any point of transcendence. Make up your minds, guys.
