The down tuned freight train of opening song, “Death Conquers All” busts through the speakers and there’s no doubting who the culprit is. Despite losing long time drummer/producer, Fred Estby, the Stockholm death metal machine known as DISMEMBER soldiers on with their self-titled eighth studio. The most significant difference with Dismember compared to the band’s last several albums is that the MAIDEN guitar melodies are used more sparingly. In their place, DISMEMBER have injected more of the brutal, driving riffing that was the original and sole basis of their sound. As a result, the album is more brutal and consistently faster than their recent releases. There’s a good mix of the different types of songs that fans have come to know and enjoy about DISMEMBER. The two standout songs that display how great they can be are “Under a Blood Red Sky” and album closer, “Black Sun.” The former starts off with ferocity and speed but really takes off during the last section of the song. In true MAIDEN style, the song section starts off quietly and builds up to huge melodic guitar riffs that take on a life of their own. The latter starts off in much the same fashion as the former but continues its fast intensity for much of the song until it gradually burns out. Overall, the album is pretty consistent in quality - good but not great. Its place in the DISMEMBER catalogue most likely depends on individual taste. DISMEMBER were born at the beginning of Swedish death metal and it looks like they’re going to outlast everyone that came afterwards. (Regain Records)