This is an album I have been looking forward to with both joy and horror. The horror because Peter Tägtgen has relieved Mikael Åkerfeldt as vocalist, and I have had a hard time to imagine Tägtgren’s vocals within Bloodbath’s framework.

But the good Peter Tägtgren leaves all my doubts behind, as he delivers a superb performance on the album. He has almost lain his usual screaming behind, and he delivers a deep and suiting growl, just as we expect when we listen to Bloodbath’s smashing.

Bloodbath’s music has become more smashing. The usual drummer Dan Swanö has left the kit behind, and picked up a six stringed axe instead. The drums are now being handled by Martin “Axe” Axenrot from Witchery and Satanic Slaughter. He delivers more speed and more pace shifts, than it was the coincidence with Swanö, in this bands case. It is giving a whole new dimension to the music and gives it more life. There are plenty of great breaks and pace shifts on this album, from all parts involved and its very suiting for the music.

It is easy to hear that it is Bloodbath which haunts the speakers, though the band is using more elements on this album, than I would have dared to hope. There are so much dynamics from all the musicians, that the half would have been enough. It is not as much rehashing of old and already used death metal riffs anymore, as it has been before. It seems like the band made it as a goal, to make an old school album anno 2004, and they sure did. There isn’t a single second of boredom on this album, nor does one think it has been heard before.

The production of “Nightmares Made Flesh” is also more alive and fresh, than the one “Resurrected Through Carnage” had. That is a big plus, there is so much energy in the production and that is really good for the music.

Bloodbath anno 2004 is old school death metal reinvented. There are heavy memorable guitar riffs en masse, heavy and pounding rhythms and a deep and brutal vocal. Besides that there are also fast guitar parts, blastbeats and a very furious vocal. The atmospheric side of the album is still huge and dark and the same can be said about the brutal side of Bloodbath. It seems like the band has been pumped full of energy and wants to conquer the world, instead of paying homage to the old death metal scene. This is one of this year’s best death metal albums in my book. This is the album one could expect from 3 brilliant songwriters as Anders Nyström, Dan Swanö and Jonas Renkse.

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