Review by Ben for Entombed - Clandestine (1991)

This is my favourite Entombed album. In fact, I'd have to say that out of all the albums in this style (i.e. Swedish death metal), Clandestine is probably the one I enjoy the most. Their debut Left Hand Path was a good album that unleashed (excuse the pun) "that sound" to the world. But while the album was hugely influential (Dismember, Grave and Unleashed would all use the same sound within 12 months), it tended to lack variety and by the end, the tracks started to merge together. Clandestine contains a similar sound to the debut, although the production has more clarity in general. But more importantly, this classic release is a fair bit more consistent than Left Hand Path, with a whole bunch of cracking tracks throughout.

First and foremost, Sinners Bleed is one of my very favourite tracks by any band. When that riff kicks in just after the minute mark, Entombed are at their absolute peak! Living Dead, Blessed Be, Stranger Aeons and Chaos Breed are all fantastic, but then there isn't any filler material on this album. Once again, Dan Seagrave's cover artwork is superb, shrouding the album with menace and mystery before you even press play. I can't blame Entombed for going off and doing something a bit different after this album, as there were so many imitators coming out of the woodwork. But unfortunately, they'd never reach these heights again.