Dissect - Swallow Swouming Mass

DISSECT - Swallow Swouming Mass (XTREEM Music LP 2013)

I must have mentioned it already several times, but I am big fan of Dutch death metal scene. Back in the early 90's they had some of the best bands in Europe. Whether we speak of albums from more mainstream and well-known names like Pestilence, Asphyx and Gorefest or these more obscure records from bands like God Dethroned (with their cult debut LP!), Eternal Solstice, Burial, Altar and Acrostichon... or bands, which only did some demos like Korsakov or Excavation - they were all fuckin killer. Dissect should also be mentioned here. They were great, but very short-lived band, with just couple of demos and one full length album in discography. They didn't play anything exceptional, but it was solid death metal, which nowadays still sounds worthy and great. 

I honestly have not been able to listen to their classic album "Swallow Swouming Mass" for many years. I used to have it on cassette, but I lost it somewhere ages ago. Sadly, it's one of those releases, whose original CD is not only quite difficult to find, but it's also insanely expensive. So, a re-issue was much welcome and it came from Xtreem Music in 2013. CD version contains not only the album, but also “Presage to the Eternity” (Demo '92) and “Growls of Death” (Demo '91), which is damn cool option. But I had to grab a vinyl copy, this was the best way to listen to this classic death metal release. Sadly, LP is derived of all the goods, which CD has - no extended booklet, no demo songs... but I do hope that Xtreem Music will put out a separate vinyl release with these two demos also. That would be pretty cool, I think. In the meantime, it's time to swallow some disgusting putrid stuff from the full length, which the band released in 1993.  

"Swallow Swouming Mass" is an album that you have to grab, because it's great and very solid brutal piece of death metal that needs no recommendation! This is excellent record. Stylistically you would imagine they're rather from Finland not Holland, because the music is closer to such Demilich or Disgrace, rather than to Pestilence. I'm simplifying things, of course. It's truly dark and brutal sounding stuff, where the harsh riffs are violent and savage, growls are vicious and truly fuckin sick and beastly... And the music has good balance between all kind of tempos, fast and even doomy slow, where the heaviness will crush your bones with a lethal pleasure. I suppose you can also compare it to such Gorefest's "Mindloss" or Acrostichon in some ways... but who cares, really. The thing is, this is truly killer album and some of these songs are damn sick! With such songs like "Exterion Tumours" it's a real crusher. Of course, Dissect didn't have the quality and great power of bands like Sinister or Pestilence. All in all, they were more underground and when compared to them, "Swallow Swouming Mass" sounds almost primitive and neanderthal, if you know what I mean. It's way more savage and putrid death metal, very obscure, underground release. "Swallow Swouming Mass" is not an album filled with effective fireworks and impressive production value. It's exactly the opposite, with very messy playing and primitive character. But it is good album, it has its charm and there's something about such albums that makes me like and enjoy them a lot (and I do recommend reading the lyrics! They're so bad haha... really hilarious texts). 

New edition of "Swallow Swouming Mass" has a different front artwork. Usually I don't like when the reissue comes with changed cover, I prefer to see the original. But sometimes I can live with it, if the new artwork is cool and fits the idea of the first press (vide Centinex' "Subconscious Lobotomy" vinyl, Depravity's "Silence of the Centuries" LP or Funebre's "Children of the Scorn" LP/CD). This new art on "Swallow Swouming Mass" reissue is really good, better than the original one (which you can still see in big format on the back of the vinyl cover), so there's no problem with it. All in all, Xtreem Music did great job with this reissue, I do recommend this sick album! 

Standout tracks: "Exterion Tumours", "Z-Day", "Pulsating Blood" 

Final rate: 75/100