Seance - 'Awakening Of The Gods'

Worthy comeback from 1990s Swedish death metal band.

The word séance generally conjures images of pre-teen kids trying to summon Bloody Mary in their basement and burning their hands with candle wax or a King Diamond video from the 1980s. It’s also the name of a Swedish death metal band that was last recording around the time fellow countrymen Entombed were releasing Wolverine Blues (1993). Since there’s been a mini-revival of the Swedish death scene of late (witness the At The Gates reunion last year) Séance has raised themselves from a decade-plus coma and recorded Awakening Of The Gods. The title might be a bit presumptuous considering the Swedish competition. However, Awakening of The Gods is largely successful and a brisk listen from beginning to end with just a few rough patches.

What’s most commendable about Awakening of the Gods is Séance’s capable use of dynamics and ability to write a punchy song packed with grooves or just pound themselves and their instruments raw. The militaristic riff and drum combination on second track “They” makes it a standout. Johan Larsson’s hostile rasps work particularly well on faster tracks like "Murder" and Rille Rimfalt knows a good place for a short solo.

The album briefly stalls during “Choose Your Eternity,” which favors a death n’ roll approach that doesn’t work with the band’s sound. "Forever Haunted” speeds things back up, Larsson unleashes a cathartic growl and we're back on track. The instrumental pieces also don't work well -- this music is best served fast -- but it's a minor quibble.

No Swedish death metal band is going to hit gold again and record an album as good as Entombed's Left Hand Path, but you could say the same thing about benchmark metal albums in other genres. Séance offers ample proof that Swedish death metal isn’t just confined to the record bins or reunion tours.