I was quite surprised to see this new release from Swedish old school death metal worshippers Ribspreader. It has been no more than a year, since they released their debut album “Bolted To The Cross”, an album that I have enjoyed to its full extent. A blast of well crafted and performed death metal, with the roots deeply in the universe of old Swedish death metal.

The first thing which springs to my mind when listening to “Congregating The Sick”, is the apparent influence from the US death metal scene, especially old Death anno “Scream Bloody Gore” and Autopsy went back and forth in the back of my mind, due to some of the riffing and the way the riffs are played. Though do not worry, the influences from the heavy and rather groovy Swedish death metal mania, is still flowing in blood red streams from the songs.

The riffs are as written heavy, really heavy, heavy as fuck, they catches unto the listeners head and makes it bang frantically. The drumming is ranging from quite good to quite boring, a damn shame. The bass is lustfully controlling the rhythm and doesn’t show its evil face that much. The highlight on the album is Rogga’s vocals, he has one of the best growls today. There can’t be any doubt about that.

I don’t know if Rogga has taken on too much work at the time being, the man has a lot of things going on, and I think it can be heard on the song writing on this album. The compositions are not as clever as on “Bolted To The Cross”. The use of clichés on this album is enormous, it might be intended, and for sure some of them are. Though it is a bit beyond what is good at times. The songs are catchy as hell, and that is one of the big plusses, without the catchy riffing and the major hooks, the album would have been falling apart, after a couple of listens. Luckily for us there are many good riffs on the album.

This album is a step down compared to Ribspreader’s great debut album. When thinking of the short amount of time between the 2 releases and the bands and projects of the members in the band. It all seems a bit rushed, and it didn’t turn out for the best, this time. Though if you are a great fan of the old Swedish death metal scene and found Ribspreader’s first album interesting. This might rock you too, I know I’ll dust off the album once in a while and give it a spin or 2. Its not genius death metal, but more or less what you expect from a band like this, pretty standard material without being flashy, but still better than a lot of the other shit being released in these years. And I have to mention the great guitar solos on the album, some of them are brilliant in their display of guitar work of a time forgotten.

[This review was first published on the now defunct scandinavianmetal.info webzine]