Bloodbath - Nightmares Made Flesh (2004)^{Release ID: 4969}

After their debut, Michael Akerfeldt decided to pay more attention to Opeth and left the group, paving the way for Hypocrisy's Peter Tägtgren to join the band for their sophomore release.  He did a good enough job for sure.  Nightmares... is my preferred Bloodbath release and the vocals are particularly of note, blackened and scathing against the crunchy riffs and hacking chops of the guitars they mold perfectly around the instrumentation.

Sonically the record is superb to, Swanö, Renkse and Nyström weave evil tapestries from their nefarious finger tips giving a real impression of acute wickedness and impending hell.  There are subtleties also that you might miss upon first listen.  The haunting ring of the melodies that accompany the verses on Outnumbering the Day for example add a real edge to the track putting a harrowing sense of melancholy in place.  Listen also to the duelling melancholy on Draped In Disease.

The drumming also deserves mention here.  We all know Axenrot to be a talented artist and he continues to provide that assured yet integrated performance here, letting the drums breathe with the rest of the instruments whilst still doing a superb job of being a real lynch pin throughout.  You can even hear the bass motoring long on most tracks (particularly on Year of the Cadaver Race). As predicted with a collection of such established musicians the whole album sounds like it is performed by a cohesive unit.  Although arguably a substantial loss, Akerfeldt's absence largely goes unrecognised.  Jens Bergen's production job is clear enough without damaging the intensity of the record.  It feels raging and racing when it needs to yet atmospheric when required also.

My only criticism is that although it is only forty five minutes long, the record does feel a tad lengthy at twelve tracks and would benefit from a bit of a trim.  Otherwise this nightmare is more than ample fresh flesh for the listener's consumption.