Band: The Grotesquery
Title: Tales Of The Coffin Born
Label: Cyclone Empire
Distribution: Sure Shot Worx
Release date: 22/01/2010
Review: CD

The Grotesquery was formed in early 2009, but as a matter of fact, the history goes way back. It all started when two well-experienced (Death) Metal heads joined forces: the American Master Kam Lee, known from e.g. Mantas / Death, Massacre, Denial Fiend, Cauldron etc, and Swedish colleague Herr Rogga Johansson of Paganizer / Those Who Bring The Torture / Ribspreader / Edge Of Sanity / Insision / …-fame. They started up the extreme Horror / Death project Bone Gnawer (originally called Revolting, by the way) in 2008, which resulted in the 2009-release Feast Of Flesh (on Pulverised Records; review posted by (it) on 09/11/2009), without any doubt one of the strongest and most surprising albums last year (in its genre).
However, both of them were still full of ideas that didn’t really fit into one of their many other bands and projects they’re involved with, among which some that had to do with the supernatural and paranormal. Driven by their mutual ‘passion’ for writers as E. A. Poe and A. Bierce, as well as H.P. Lovecraft’s Macabre Tales more specific, they created a concept about desperation, necromancy, black magic rituals and the thin line between life and death. Indeed, it’s a horrific, scarifying story in the vein of some of the darker Poe-poems, mixed with elements from those oppressing (American and Italian) horror movies from the seventies / early eighties.
They recruited two same-minded musicians: Grand Master Johan Berglund (from This Haven, also known from his session co-operation with some of Rogga’s other bands, like Demiurg and Ribspreader), and Notorious Brynjar Helgetun (from Liklukt). And as a quartet, they entered Studio E.A.P. with engineer Ronnie Björnström, who also worked behind the knobs for bands as Those Who Bring The Torture, Blodsrit, Paganizer, Ribspreader or Assailant to name but a few (also (session) member of several bands Rogga is involved with too). The (first) result of this ‘other’, ‘new’ co-operation is called Tales Of The Coffin Born, and it really is a marvellous one.
Tales … has duration of forty six minutes and it combines -what else did you think- elements from both the American and, especially, the Swedish old school-scene. Or: it is evident that this band’s music is influenced by Kam’s and Rogga’s other bands and projects. Yet again it is slightly different from those bands, and slightly different from Bone Gnawer too. In comparison to the latter, The Grotesquery sound much more ‘atmospheric’, coming with an oppressing, freezing sound, and at the same time it is less groovy, less gore, but still scarifying and obscure. The overall tempo is slower too in comparison to their other mutual project, more ‘rhythmic’, but believe me: the brutality exhales the purity of the Old Skool. …with honour and pride!

82/100

Ivan Tibos.