£12.99
Cult Swedish maestros WOMBBATH return both with album number 7 Beyond The Abyss and Pulverised Records ten years after first working together.
Although both he and Pettersson may be the busiest men in Scandinavian metal with a dozen projects/bands each (CONSUMPTION, HEADS FOR THE DEAD, REEK, ROTPIT etc.), for the guitar player there’s definitively only one WOMBBATH. “I would say the foundations were laid with Downfall Rising and we’ve been building upon it ever since. My main inspirations remain CARCASS, ENTOMBED, DISMEMBER and EDGE OF SANITY but there’s always nice additions being made, like harmonies, odd notes, violin etc. In a way, each album is an extension from the previous one and Beyond The Abyss is no exception but as I’ve said already, it’s the most aggressive and bad-ass album we’ve ever done!” Besides contributing guitars, von Wachenfeldt once again peppers few of the songs with his violin, a big plus according to Pettersson. “The symphonic element started off on Agma. Since Thomas is one of the foremost violin players in the folk music scene, he was able to bring those elements alive, as we didn't want it to sound like another keyboard driven metal band.”
Yet the most surprising element will probably the presence of ROTPIT and LEFT HAND SOLUTION drummer Erik Barthold, guesting here on the track ‘Malevolent’ on… Saxophone and even Stuvermark wasn’t exactly ready for it at first. “It’s one of Jonny’ songs and it was his idea and vision. I’ve never been a huge fan of the instrument yet it turned out great, the one part where the sax comes in is one of my favorites on the album actually.” For Pettersson, it’s just the proof that they’re well aware of what their roots are, yet without forgetting we’re not living in 1993 anymore: “with this album, we wanted to push the progressive elements first displayed on Agma, but at the same time make the album our most old school since the early days of WOMBBATH. Where Agma was fairly clean, Beyond The Abyss is dark, filthy and, in a way, more organic. With one foot in the early days of death metal and one foot in the future, Beyond The Abyss is the sound of us bringing our legacy forward.”