Although Disfuneral hails from France, much of their influence can be heard in the Swedish death metal scene, from their distortion and buzzsaws to their throaty shouts from behind the mic. Their upbeat drumming has a natural feel to it, eschewing the heavily triggered, breakneck-paced percussion many death acts today shoot for. While paying homage to their roots, the band puts forth their own energy in an engaging way that separates it from other new, old-school heavy death metal. Much of the classic guitar work avoided dissonance, keeping it fast and furious, but Disfuneral adds in this modern touch, keeping the work fresh and fun without being trite and tedious. In Horror, Reborn plays through a good variety of tempos as well, mixing the slow and plodding with the mid-paced and grooving, all while saving space for frenzied and feral. There is a nice heaviness to the album that doesn't overwhelm or muddy up the guitars. Fans of Dismember and Entombed will meld with this album very quickly, as there are many inspired tones, riffs, and beats throughout. Not to revel too much in the Swedish scene, Disfuneral riffs onward and upward into higher flying, more spaced out pieces as well. Varying from the HM-2 sound keeps the listener on their toes and keeps the album from getting a bit samey-samey. Instead, with the number of different approaches employed, In Horror, Reborn warrants multiple spins to further unlock its potential. 

 

From it's classic horror cover art to its old-school inspired death, In Horror, Reborn is a fun and frenetic work of modern death metal with a nostalgic edge. Clean, crisp, and cool, this sophomore full length from France's Disfuneral checks off those metal boxes and delivers a good, grimy time. The band doesn't rush themselves to put out releases, and the time and attention certainly shows. Making a name for themselves since their inception, this quartet looks to keep pumping out great death metal for years to come.