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Wombbath: Internal caustic torments
15/08/12 || Sokaris
Wombbath aren’t a household name even though I can’t imagine a homeowner who wouldn’t want their very own Wombbathroom.
In the very late 80’s and early 90’s chainsaws were apparently distributed to many Swedish teenagers that were in turn set loose in recording studios. The metal world at large reaped classics from bands like Entombed, Dismember, Unleashed and Grave with an eager scythe. Like any musical boom, there was a huge wake of bands that didn’t emerge quite on the top of the pile and were forgotten by time. Thankfully it seems that recent years have ignited interest in the forgotten acts from death metal’s heyday. Wombbath is among the best of the bands that didn’t make it, though they did manage to pull themselves forward enough to birth a full length on Thrash Records (a short-lived label full of lost treasures) back in 1993. “Internal caustic torments” had been relegated to overpriced eBay auctions and download blogs until Necroharmonic’s recent reissue featuring the band’s prior demo and EP.
So was this worth digging up and putting to plastic once more? I give a resounding yes, though less die-hard death metal devotees might want to drop a point or so from my final score to suit their tastes. If pressed for a quick soundbyte on the Wombbath sound, I would say that they occupy the space between Monstrosity and Asphyx. Of course this is a rough approximation and as much as I like Wombbath they’re not quite on the same level as the other two bands mentioned. However, some of the frantic energy of Monstrosity is married with a touch of that beloved Asphyx krush, all topped off with vocals reminiscent of Ross Dolan’s (Immolation if you’re a philistine) bassy grumble.
“Internal caustic torments” has all things good; neck-wrenching grooves, twisted power chord structures and that wicked culmination of well-placed chugging with sinister chromatic progressions. The band seem at their best when they’re playing mid-paced but they’re definitely not afraid to step on the gas and show off their thrash heritage or even include a bit of blast.
Aggressive metal aficionados might notice a lack of resemblance between the Womb-troop and their countrymen. Though the guitar sound is severely heavy, it seems like these guys didn’t do their tone research at a construction site (though the bonus demo versions do feature a higher “buzz” factor in this regard) and even when they hit a similar stride tempo-wise Wombbath aren’t inclined to incorporate D-beat elements the way you’d hear them on ”Left hand path” or ”Like an everflowing stream”.
One thing that feels like an omission to me is the lack of leads. “Beyond the gloomy” features a great solo but it only serves to showcase an aspect that the band should’ve focused on a little more. While I’m nitpicking, the drum mixing is a bit uneven and the faster sections suffer slightly for it. And while I really enjoy Tomas Lindfors vocal approach, his performance sounds restrained and could use a little more range. Oddly enough, he sounded fuller and nastier on the band’s demo than here. It’s worth noting that the guy would end up a dominating vocal force in the criminally underrated In Thy Dreams, a band that featured fellow Wombbath alumni Håkan Stuvemark. ITD is mostly identified as a precursor to the forgettable Carnal Forge and lesser known as the band that improved upon The Black Dahlia Murder’s sound before they even existed.
Though it’s by no means essential, Wombbath’s “Internal caustic torments” is a rusty relic worth its recovery, a once misplaced but proud addition to the Swedish death metal arsenal.
- Information
- Released: 1993
- Label: Thrash Records
- Website: Wombbath MySpace
- Band
- Tomas Lindfors: vocals
- Tobbe Holmgren: guitars
- Håkan Stuvemark: guitars
- Richard Lagberg: bass
- Roger Enstedt: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. Prevent anemia
- 02. Intestinal bleeding
- 03. A silent as the grave
- 04. Corporal punishment
- 05. Performed in depths
- 06. Conceal inner torments
- 07. Beyond the gloomy
- 08. Abandon
- 09. Several shapes
