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I've said it before, it's hard for bands to sound original these days. Some just stick to their guns, some pay tribute to the old school by sounding, well, old school. Many just go through the motions and write so-so songs, but when bands get it right, damn, who cares about originality. The latter can be said of Skelethal's latest output. Their split with Cadaveric Fumes I reviewed a couple of years ago did not prepare me for this violent onslaught. These guys' music is rooted in old-school Swedish death metal, and they deliver it with a boatload of heaviness and attitude. They might as well have called this "Loud and Heavy" as the first thing that hits you is how heavy and loud (nothing to do with the volume setting) this stuff is. Thundering, crushing, pummelling, you name it. The buzzsaw guitars are razor-sharp and the riffs sound and feel heavy, the raucous growls are entrancing, and the drummer must have a reinforced drum kit for it to take such abuse of sheer heaviness. I guess by now I've driven home the point that this is a heavy death metal album. ;) Like on the aforementioned split, there are some notable thrash sounds sprinkled here and there to keep you on your toes. The band have really upped their game all around and delivered one killer death metal album.