Gruesome — Twisted Prayers

Throwback thrashers and death metal disciples rejoice as Gruesome returns to Relapse Records with their latest LP, Twisted Prayers. Once again returning to the well of old school, Floridian death, Gruesome churns out eight tracks of tight, classic death that, while paying tribute to the tried and true sound, still heaves with a modern intensity and fresh feel. And, with Ed Repka's inimitable art gracing the cover, Twisted Prayers answers many metalheads' twisted prayers.

Buzzing, tremolo picked guitars swarm from the onset in classic fashion, as Gruesome reminds the listener how death metal made its mark thirty years ago. Deftly switching between rockin', fast shredding and evocative, mid-paced death, Twisted Prayers covers lots of ground in a well-written, and well-recorded manner. This serves as a wonderful base for Gruesome's musicianship to move to the fore and prove yet again why old school death is always relevant. Outside of excellent axework from Gruesome members, James Murphy (Death, Obituary, Testament) also lends his string attack to two solos ("Crusade of Brutality" and "At Death's Door") which add nice dimensions to Twisted Prayers' classic flavor. While Gruesome serves up a modern construction of old school death, fans of the genre know exactly what they're in for. For some metalheads, that may be a disappointment, but for those that have loved this sound for thirty years, Twisted Prayers is exactly what the doctor ordered. Along with the eight album tracks, Gruesome serves up a tasty Exorcist inspired bonus track. Starting with a brief cover of Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells," "The Exorcist" buzzes forth with as much aplomb as the preceding eight album tracks.

Gruesome is pretty much "what you see is what you get," and that is meant in the best possible way. If one wants a thick, well done slab of old school death, Gruesome is the go to, hands down. From the cover art down to the album structure, Twisted Prayers is classic death for the new millennium