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How great are Entombed! To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth was one of the best metal albums released in the 90’s and its follow up, Same Difference, although not setting the world on fire, was to these ears, a sign that everyone’s favourite Swedes were maturing into an important rock act. ... and now they’re back with Uprising. Some are heralding it as a return to their glory days, and on first listen the grind does seem to be back in place. But is it any good? We forced a number of our reviewers into a tiny dark room, armed only with a case of beer and a Swedish phrase book, to find out... |
Entombed
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Right, I’m going to get to the point with this one, it pains me too much to dally on this topic. Uprising is mediocre. It lacks the class of the previous three Entombed albums, with most of the songs drifting aimlessly, searching for a hook to hold them in your memory. Sure, Year in Year Out is classic Entombed but In the Flesh, despite having some great guitar work, just doesn’t cut the mustard. The album does trace routes all the way back to Clandestine, but it seems like most of these songs would have been out-takes from Wolverine Blues. Entombed are a band who can do better than this, and I’ve no doubt that they will. I guess that L.G and the lads just rushed this one a little too much. That’s all I have to say. Damn I feel like a traitor. Graeme's Rating: ********** The follow-up to Same Difference (which was met with very mixed reviews), this album sees Entombed take a step back to the vibe of their '97 album To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak The Truth, with some good ol' death 'n' roll. And boy do these guys do it well. Although I know that many of my colleagues here at Attitude really got into the last album, it never moved me that much. too damn hard to get into, I thought, though very well written nevertheless, with a few outstanding tracks. Uprising has the instant appeal I love Entombed for. you know from the opening riff that this could be only one band. with the characteristic vocals backed by the bulldozer guitars. It's a natural progression from To Ride, with a slightly more refined songwriting style - that about sums up this album in one sentence. Definitely a grower. If you're already an Entombed fan, this'll definitely not disappoint. Otherwise, get off your arse and check it out. Verdict: Entombed back to what they do best - kicking the arses of most other metal bands out there. A damn fine album. Well you've had two conflicting reviews so far, so what have I to throw into the fire? Unfortunately I basically agree with Graeme - this is not Entombed at their best. The one thing that set Entombed above all other bands was their ability to innovate, change, and come up with entirely original music. You could argue that up till now they have, but Uprising doesn't really seem to be evolution so much as devolution. Listening to this album only led to disappointment. That is however until I tried it on random. When The Itch came through the speakers I began wondering of I'd put on the wrong CD. No, Graeme and Scott had not been swapping my CDs around to annoy me - it was the right CD. It is a cool bluesy song, though it could be written a bit better. I think that comment could maybe work for much of the album - some cool riffs, but just not done as proficiently as you would hope. I'm fairly sure it will be a grower, like all past Entombed stuff has been for me, but on first listen I expected more from them Verdict: Rushed. Slightly disappointing. |
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