Sometimes the thing that modern music needs is to back to the past. That’s exactly what old school death metal band Gruesome shows on their new album by going with a very old school sound that feels fresh in today’s music industry. Gruesome are a band that’s main goal is to continue the sound and legacy of the legendary band Death, and their new album, “Twisted Prayers” is a not only a good use of this sound, but a breath of fresh air in today’s scene. “Inhumane” starts off with a fast and heavy riff, and is a nice opening track overall. The production is rougher, which fits with the old school sound without feeling like it comes with any negative side effects. Plus the solo on this song is worth mentioning. The nice guitar work continues on “A Waste of Life”, which has nice riffs throughout. On top of that, this song has a bit of a darker tone to it, which is used very well with the slower pace. This song again has a solo, and it’s another great one.
The pace is picked up again in “Fate”, which feels as old school as I think is possible. This track feels like it was pulled right from the time period of death metal’s inception, and forces the listener to appreciate where this genre came from. Up next is “Lethal Legacy”, which begins slow but picks up to become another very fast track. This song isn’t anything amazing, but it does continue the trend of solid writing and great riffs that the previous songs had. “Fatal Illusions” brings in some groove influence, and infuses that with the already solid riffs to create a nice variation on familiar territory. “Crusade of Brutality” has a great opening guitar, before launching into the main body. The main riff and overall writing is very solid, and when the lead guitar takes over, this song becomes something even better.
The darker tone comes back for “At Death’s Door”, which is another heavy one with even more good fast paced riffs. The title track, “Twisted Prayers”, ends this album, and is an overall slower track that has some very old school riffs. The ending speeds up and drives this song home, ending the album on a good note. This is a very good album. Fans of death metal, specifically Death should definitely check this out, and while this album isn’t an old school masterpiece, it’s a damn good trip to the past.
Overall Score: 8.5/10
Review by Sam Hookom
