Puteraeon – Quindecennial Horror [EP]

Personally I have always categorized Puteraeon as one of the more interesting Swedish Death Metal bands that do no belong to the classics from the early 90’s. Don’t ask me why, as the band really doesn’t deliver anything that doesn’t sound like anything you have never heard before. Their past with Cyclone Empire Records normally shouldn’t have contributed to my image of the band either. For me, the Death Metal on that label symbolises exactly what makes the genre sound so lifeless: flat and compressed productions and monotonous mid-tempo riffs. In fact, Puteraeon fit that exact profile too, but still…

These Swedes also deliver rather safe sounding Swedish Death Metal, free of that dirty and raw edge that we love so much. It were bands like Nihilist, Entombed or Dismember – or insert just any other random band from that golden age of Swedish Death Metal. You can even accuse the band of using the same plastic and compressed production, but still… They were at least able to fire off some interesting riffs and stay away from all too much of the Rogga Johansson-like compositions.

Puteraeon’s last full-length album dates back to 2020, so it was about time the band showed a sign of life, and they finally do so with their brand new EP ‘Quindecennial Horror’. The title already gives it away, being founded in 2008, with this EP the band is celebrating their 15^th anniversary. But, to be honest, this feels like a bit of a lame party. On this 5-tracker, the band ruminates on a number of songs from their old demos and debut LP like a bored cow.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with these tracks, but one could argue what the point is of re-recording these tracks and serve them under the banner of an anniversary EP. In my opinion there was no need to re-do any of these tracks as they were just fine they way they were. Indeed, in this form, the riffs sounds heavier and the production is better, but that also takes away a bit of the charm of the songs as they were presented to us in the earlier stages of the band’s career. Instead, I think the band should respected us fans a bit more and offered us some new tracks…