In the past few years the New Jersey death metal group Sentient Horror has confined to the typical Swedish style of death metal. Formed in 2016 the band represent their music in the vein of Entombed and Grave. After releasing their first full length album Ungodly Forms through Testimony Records, Sentient Horror began to possess the pulverizing tone of the Swedish death metal. There is a clear indication that songwriting on the new album has resulted into a refreshing sound. After taking a two year of hiatus the U.S. trio emphasized to build their arsenal. These powerful areas now seemed to be strengthened by the chainsaw guitars and the deep growls. Morbid Realm is the second full length album characterized by the sheer aggression and intensity of the riffs.

However the approach on the latest offering isn’t quite similar to the bands which I have mentioned. Sentient Horror intend to impose more power over the riffs, simultaneously they were able to discover new ways. To differentiate themselves between the fluxes of the old school death metal bands, as they build up their own brand of death metal. The change in sound can be determined by the tempo of the opening track Call of Ancient Gods. There is plenty of brutality if compared to the debut album. The guitars launch a brutal attack with vicious riffs, kicking drums and deep roaring growls.

The melodies and solos are also nicely infused in the song structure and this actually indicates that the band has been improvising on a sinister sound. From the opening moments of the second track Bound to Madness the striking drums and the barrage of the heavy chainsaw riffs never cease to reduce the fast thundering tempo. The brutal accession to death metal is constructively achieved and this what makes the sophomore so captivating. Sentient Horror has brought many variations on the new album, the tracks are nailed on a constructive method. Which resulted into such a pulverizing and brutal death metal album, Sworn to the Dead is surpassed by the levels of tempo and blast beats.

The method of implementing the straight up death metal riffs along the monstrous growls. And grooves proves how the band has changed in the last couple of years. The next foray into death’n’roll is expressed in similar ways to Entombed A.D. ,Reanimated is characterized by the solid performance. There is no doubt that Sentient Horror has strengthened the effort on the new album. Among the heavy and brutal tracks, Ripped from Hell sounds bold and heavy, even the drums are powerfully executed. Many of these tracks are also combined to bring chaos and straight forward pounding percussion.

While the aggression are boldly fitted into the songs, the guitar department expose their technical skills adding swift but tasty solos. The guitars on Morbid Realms are impressively layered to the savage growls and the heavy pounding of the drums. Sentient Horror managed to write many terrific tracks like, Ripped from Hell and Loss of Existence are both gripping and brutal.

The massive arsenal of the guitars are processed equally alongside the drums. By the seventh track Black Wings of Delirium the rounding formulation takes more effect. Of course nothing is original here yet there are a lot of similarities between Sentient Horror and the latest album by the Belgian death metal band Carnation. These similarities somehow match in sound but again both bands have a separate technique in playing death metal music. Obsessive killing suddenly shows more variation, when the drums activate the d-beat technique and the grooves that outweighs the tempo. While the solos are more complex and entertaining in the same time, Sentient Horror displays massive diversity of riffs to keep the listener in full focus.

This is definitely beyond the approach of the modern death metal bands, the album title track accentuate on the brutality of the riffage. Morbid Realm extends through the fiery tempo of the Swedish death metal roots. The riffs feels like they’re multiplied tenfold albeit the change of the tempo, things start to roll like dice. When the solos are executed and the drums picks up the pace. By the final track Cemetery Slaughter the massive drum beats start to pound again, this is yet another mid tempo track.

Morbid Realms is determined by the energy and the sheer performance of the U.S. death metal trio who has released a rip-roaring album for the fans of extreme metal. 

FFO Entombed, Cannibal Corpse and Carnation.

Release Date: November 29th, 2019
Label: Testimony Records
track list:

1. Call of Ancient Gods
2. Bound to Madness
3. Sworn to the Dead
4. Reanimated
5. Ripped from Hell
6. Loss of Existence
7. Black Wings of Delirium
8. Obsessive Killing Disorder
9. Morbid Realms
10. Cemetery Slaughter