Swedish Death Metal has been facing some challenges lately, largely due to how overexposed the niche has become. However, at MER, we have a soft spot for the genre—after all, this whole blog started with it! That’s why Feral is being met with a little extra mercy compared to other releases. Flesh For Funerals Eternal was a solid effort back in 2018, so now the question is whether To Usurp the Thrones will bet on change or stick with consistency. Enough with romantic intros—let’s crank up the chainsaw and get into it!
If you’re part of the 95% of listeners who assumed Feral would stick to its usual sound, you didn’t win anything, because everyone made the same bet—and you were all right. Usurp is another aggressive, frantic, and buzzing mix of Death Metal, Punk, and raw attitude. It easily fits in with bands like Crawl, Vomitheist, Wombbath, or even Abscension, representing the latest wave of retro-Metal from the land of meatballs and socially awkward interactions. If there’s any difference this time, it’s that Usurp feels even more intense and direct than before.
I think that’s partly thanks to the harsh, committed vocal delivery that sounds like it was fueled by a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. The guitars, drums, and bass, along with the overall sound structures, aren’t anything groundbreaking—but it’s the unapologetic, hostile way it’s all put together that makes you want to hit play. It’s fast, fun, and doesn’t care about your feelings (like your ex, right?). Feral operates on the principle that if it’s not broken, why fix it? And honestly, it’s hard to argue with that logic on this album.
They look like they’d KO you at the bar, but probably pay more taxes than you.
That said, I do have some thoughts about Usurp. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the album, but I’d love to see some of these old-school Swedish bands blend their style with something new—push the retro sound into uncharted territory or, at the very least, surprise us. Bands like Tomb Mold or Blood Incantation have done that recently. Maybe not going full-on Prog, but experimenting enough to refresh the genre. After all, there are only so many riffs you can write to honor Entombed.
Still, if consistency is what you’re after, Feral is the way to go. The band stays true to its original sound without venturing into risky territory that could compromise its quality. It’s the kind of music made for lunatics to get wasted to—and let’s face it, none of us are here because our heads are in the most conventional places. So, next time you visit Ikea, at least bring a fun soundtrack for your headphones. Hejdå!
Label: Transcending Obscurity
Release date: 18 October 2024
Website: https://www.facebook.com/feralswe
Country: Sweden
Score: A nice hotpot of melted bones, or 3.5/5.0
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