Artist: Imperishable
Country: Sweden
Label: Hammerheart Records
Formats: LP / CD
Year: 2023
When I stumbled upon Imperishable’s ‘Deathspawn’ demo I was really very much intrigued by the fact that it had been able to get under my radar for about a year and even more so that it was only made available digitally. ‘Deathspawn’ was one of the best Death Metal demos I had heard in a long time and found it remarkable that it wasn’t picked up by any label yet. But, whether prophetic or just plain coincidence, not long after publishing my review for the demo it was announced that Hammerheart Records signed up for the reissue of the demo on a proper cassette tape as well as for the upcoming full-length album.
That full-length album is the one that was recently released and wears the charming title ‘Come, Sweet Death’. And while that can be translated as just another gruesome death-themed title, it just basically feels very aptly titled because it welcomes back the old times of Death Metal. The Swedes, with current and ex-members of bands like Vampire, Nominon and Portrait, obviously love their Death Metal old schooled, but not old fashioned. They do sport that very familiar sound that is heavily rooted in the country’s rich Death Metal history, yet, without sounding like an exact copy of either one of those genre giants.
While Swedish Death Metal forms the very foundation of Imperishable, it is, compared to their 2021-demo, further enriched with a deeply melodic slant. While Dismember is thoroughly melodic band to begin with, Imperishable has adopted some of almost Gothenburg-like melodies into their music. The demo already hinted in that direction, but on ‘Come, Sweet Death’ the four-some has seemingly found a certain balance between the chunky riffs of the primal Swedish Death Metal sound, check the main riff of songs like ‘Infernal Lust’ and ‘Teeth Of The Hydra’ for instance, and a far more melodic approach. Those melodies are close to those of bands like Unanimated or Eucharist, making ‘Come, Sweet Death’ an album that is both recognizable but also fairly fresh sounding. It might not be all that striking that Imperishable chose to record a (vinyl only) bonus track in the form of Eucharist’s ‘Once My Eye Moved Mountains’, which also happens to be the closing track of their 1993 debut album.
Combining both iconic Swedish Death Metal movements into one musical product may not necessarily be new or original, but Imperishable can definitely not be blamed for a lack of energy and commitment. Herein, then, lies the band’s strength and in a general sense within ‘Come, Sweet Death’ in particular, consequently making it an album that can be warmly recommended to fans of Dismember, Nominon, Vomitory, At The Gates and Desultory.
