Upon my first encounter with this album, I can’t believe it’s not Swedish; more specifically I can’t believe it’s not the October release from a Rogga Johanson project (though in truth he’s possibly even more prolific than just monthly) [editor’s note this is going up next to Massacre review featuring guess who?]

Hailing rather from the southern end of Europe (more specifically the Alpine borderlands of north-western Italy), Organic began life in 2013, quickly releasing an EP the following year before refining their sound further and finally releasing their warmly received debut album “Carved In Flesh” in 2018.

Their sophomore album opens with a misleading angelic chorus which quickly gives way to sinister old school riffery and snare blasting on “Ropedragger”. Nostalgia for Entombed and Dismember springs to mind straight away, with Organic showcasing competent riff-a-rama with solid percussion and cheeky dive-bombing solos. “Wasted Monolith” is a feast of crumbling, crust influenced dirge. The vocals comprise solid, consistent guttural roars throughout with no deviations into shrieking or growling territory.

The title track starts with deftly picked clean melodic intro which segue into a distorted tremolo-picked version of the same melody, before bass drum stabs descend into a dirty death n’ blues riff, the drummer switching between D-beat and straight-up blasts whilst maintaining a steady rhythm. At 6:18 long, it’s one of the longest tracks on the album, employing many changes before ending on a mournful melody that apes the songs intro.

Album closer “Knives” introduces an additional weapon to their arsenal with an At The Gates style twin-guitar attack underpinned with plodding double-kick drums and blasts, before rounding off with a feedback smothered orchestral outro.

With nine tracks coming in at a shade under 40 minutes, “Where Graves Abound” doesn’t hang around for long enough to outstay its welcome. Whilst likely not an essential 2021 release, Organic wear their old school death metal influences proudly on their sleeves, and fans of this style should definitely check it out.

(7/10 Doogz)

https://www.facebook.com/organicdeathmetal

https://testimonyrecords.bandcamp.com/album/organic-where-graves-abound