Deranged has always been in a league of their own when talking about Death Metal from Sweden. Their sound is definitely more ‘American’ than ‘Scandinavian’ or, in other words: more brutal and grinding than the average Swedish Death Metal band. ‘The Redlight Murder Case’ is Deranged’s seventh album and it’s coming together with some changes in their line-up. There is a new bass player on board (Thomas Ahlgren) and a new vocalist (Martin Schönherr) who is also grunting in Splattered Mermaids. The other two guys are basically the core of Deranged from the very beginning, Johan Axelsson (guitars) and Rikard Warmen (drums).
Don’t expect any surprises from ‘The Redlight Murder Case’. Your ears will be attacked by nine pieces of brutal and straightforward Death Metal with the mark of Deranged branded on it. The new record is a little bit faster than its predecessor ‘Obscenities In B-flat’. Martin Schönherr’s grunts are deeper than Calle Fäldt’s on ‘Obscenities…’.
But if we put that aside, there isn’t a significant difference between ‘The Redlight Murder Case’ and the older Deranged albums. Those guys offer grinding drumming, solid guitar riffs and furious growls, everything a Death Metal fan could wish for. Some potential hits from the new record are ‘Formula For Murder’ and ‘Death Walks On High Heels’ with its obvious Cannibal Corpse vibe.
This is the first Deranged album for Regain Records so hopefully their mutual work will be successful for both sides. If you’ve been a fan of Deranged, you most probably won’t be disappointed by ‘The Redlight Murder Case’. It’s a Death Metal record way above average and deserves to have some time spent on it.
