Here is a release I have been impatiently waiting to drop since I first heard the demo, ‘Beyond the Fire’, back in March. The band in question is the mighty Eldfödd from Stockholm, Sweden! Initially started as a project by the disgustingly talented Sebastian Ramstedt (of Necrophobic and In Aphelion fame), the demo was just a mere taster of the brilliance that has been achieved with this superb EP.
Sebastian has recruited the best of the best to flesh out the rest of the band, namely Victor Brandt (Entombed, Firespawn, Witchery etc.) on bass, Perra Karlsson (Nominon, Deströyer 666, Darkened among others) on drums, Erik Sahlström (General Surgery, Under The Church) on vocals, and his partner in crime from Necrophobic and In Aphelion, Johan Bergebäck. Now then, do I have your attention?
Musically, this is pure old-school Swedish Death Metal, but without an HM-2 pedal in sight! The EP consists of four tracks with a running time of just over 19 minutes of top-tier Metal. Each of the songs on offer is a riff-fest of immaculately written and executed music, but with this level of musicianship involved, would you expect anything else?
The production is crisp and not overproduced, while Ramstedt’s trademark clean leads are simply glorious. It all flows together beautifully and is over far too soon, leaving me eagerly awaiting a full-length debut album. I truly hope this project can put together some live performances, as this music deserves to be seen and heard live by the fans.
‘Risen from the Flames’ is quite simply a must-have EP for any proper old-school Swedish Death Metal fan’s collection. Hail Sweden!
