DESULTORY - Bitterness LP (Black Vinyl)

Gatefold cover.

"Bitterness" is a glorious musical dead-end; a Stockholm death metal band recording at Studio Sunlight in the post "Wolverine Blues"-era. Thankfully there is more to it than that. Comparing "Bitterness" to contemporary death-ish metal crap like "Soulless", "Across the Open Sea" or "Massive Killing Capacity" would be insulting. The Entombed influence had seeped into Desultory but it didn't consume them. They retained the best bits from their "Into Eternity" debut and upgraded them. The result was one of the most surprising and worthwhile metal records of its time.

The most memorable aspect of the band’s debut album was the guitar melodies. These are even better here. Stefan Pöge sounds more measured, varied, and more comfortable repeating phrases for emphasis. He gives the songs a more mournful, less thrashy feel. He seems to have integrated some classic metal influences, and some of this reminds me of Savatage, Queensrÿche, or maybe even Rainbow. The songs are more complex and distinct, with stronger riffs. The guitar tone is thicker and more typical of the Sunlight/Skogsberg sound. Klas Morberg adopts a deeper, shoutier style of vocals. He sounds more like LG Petrov than Tomas Lindberg here, but he still has a powerful voice.