The Lurking Fear – Out of the Voiceless Grave (Review)

The Lurking Fear are a death metal band from Sweden and this is their debut album.

Featuring members of God Macabre, Skitsystem, Disfear, and At the Gates, here’s a band comprised of people that know a thing or two about extreme music.

This is meaty death metal that takes the know-how from the old-school masters and wraps this valuable knowledge up in a modern, updated delivery, essentially creating something that bridges the divide between old and new that can sometimes exist.

When I use the word modern in this context though, don’t think of shiny, hyper-polished, over-produced music. No, this is a lot darker and grimmer than that. Aesthetically we’re more in line with some of the more modern dissonant/avant-garde death metal bands, although The Lurking Fear are more emotive, energetic, and open in style than most of them.

As such, The Lurking Fear have created something a little different on this album, as the songs don’t quite fit in under either an old-school or a new-school genre tag. This is timeless death metal, but in a different way to what is normally done when attempting to merge the different eras. Some of the more contemporary bands these days can lack a certain spark that exists more naturally in bands from older eras, which is why I think The Lurking Fear’s music works so well; the songs channel an energy and special mood from an older time into tracks that translate very well into their 2017 incarnations.

Catchy and memorable, but without being overly so, these songs are very addictive and extremely well-written. The latter, of course, should come as no surprise considering the quality and experience that the various musicians bring to the band.

Twisted, raw, ugly, and violent; this is authentically passionate death metal. It’s also surprisingly melodically atmospheric in places. The music is textured and is full of energy, and I keep coming back to similar words as these – this is an album created by people that love what they do, and this passion and energy has bled through into every aspect of the music.

The singer’s voice is one of the best in the business, in my opinion, and it’s great to hear his enthusiastic delivery on Out of the Voiceless Grave. His performance is a focal point for the songs for sure, but not at the expense of the music. He adds value and an aggressive centre, rather than overshadowing the actual music with his charismatic presence.

Emotive, passionate death metal with a raw, dark underbelly; Out of the Voiceless Grave is mercilessly enjoyable and crafted to high standards.

Highly recommended.