Today, Finnish doom/death legion Swallowed unleash “Arterial Mists of Doom” from their forthcoming record Lunarterial out on October 14 through Dark Descent Records and Me Saco Un Ojo. Drummer/vocalist Ville Kojonen is formerly of speed metal maniacs Ranger, but this is not good times Mad Max music by any stretch. Swallowed lean more on the doom side of the doom/death equation, slowing down the evil vibes of bands of Asphyx, early Cathedral, and Hooded Menace. They seduce you with slow, lurching rhythms, so much so that when the duo speeds up it’s nearly a toxic shock. Of note are the vocals, a strained croak that sounds like Inquisition’s Dagon after a nasty bar brawl. There’s also a hint of black metal mysticism at work -- they’d be natural touring partners with fellow countrymen Behexen, who just bewitched the States with Sargeist.While this track is cloaked in a suffocating, poisoning mist, Swallowed are less muddy than some of their lesser, more Incantation-aping peers. “Mists” sounds like it’ll come out to screen and smother you, instead of just wanting to get super high and watch horror movies all day. “Metal ov death” might be a pretentious tag, but is there any better way to describe this music?
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