Imperishable - Come, Sweet Death

Thankfully death is sugar-free.

(Originally submitted to the Metal Archives on May 4th 2024) 

Imperishable, despite their rather recent arrival to the death metal stage, had quickly risen among the bands I was most excited to see new material from. Following 2021’s riveting, if imperfect, Deathspawn EP, I’ve been curious to see how they’d develop their sound and how they’d evolve. Lo and behold, after a year of radio silence we finally got some new material to sink our teeth into, and it was a full-length at that. To say that I was excited upon hearing the news of Come, Sweet Death’s release would be an understatement. Mercifully enough, it was one of those times where having expectations didn’t lead to disappointment.
For anyone unacquainted with the group (or my review of their EP), Imperishable’s style is heavily rooted in the classic Stockholm sound, albeit with a greater emphasis on melodies, akin to later-era Dismember. It’s not a sound you see bands emulating often, with most opting for the stereotypical D-beat madness championed by Entombed, which in turn makes the trio’s approach seem fresher in comparison. Of course, that is not to say that there aren’t any hard-hitting moments, as “The Perennial Desire” does feature a strong riffset alongside its more melodious moments, or the concussive rhythms of the opener, “Venomous”. It’s a case of an album that could be described as “melodic death metal” that thankfully doesn’t sacrifice its intensity for being tuneful.
That being said, the melodic aspects are this release’s defining characteristic, and have been expanded upon heavily since the EP. The 5 new tunes (more on that later) are filled with duelling guitar lines, shredding leads and some creeping melodies, all used as a way to build atmosphere instead of making the songs induce diabetes. Whether it’s the snaking section near the end of “Vertiginous”, or the climax of the title track, there’s no scarcity of memorable moments that make for an excellent showcase of Robin Holmberg’s expanded skillset. There are moments where it veers a little close to being a bit too melodic, but these are few and far in between, and there’s always an underlying grit that helps keep them in line, in part thanks to Henke Skoog’s vocal performance. His bloodied bark serves as a counterpoint to the guitars, while delivering some simple, but at the same time effective, choruses.
That being said, there’s the matter of the songs from the EP. While Deathspawn was good in its own right, the somewhat simpler approach Imperishable employed there feels a bit at odds with the newer tracks, especially in how they’re placed on the record. Besides the instrumental prelude to the closer, the second half is occupied by 3 out of the EPs 4 tunes, with “Infernal Lust” being the sole outlier, being placed after the opener. The tracks themselves are good, mind you, the stylistic difference between the two sides being small but noticeable, and the improved production can only do so much to bring the tunes up to snuff. As a result, the album comes off as a rather divided release, with pacing that feels a bit out of whack outside of the finale being a new song.
The production here is also an aspect worth noting, seeing as it was one of my few grievances with their previous release, and they’ve more than made leaps on that front. It’s absolutely crushing, with the expected HM-2 tone being supported by a girthy bass that was sorely missing before, as well as a very intense drumkit, whose toms in particular have a very nice thud to them, which comes out during a lot of the fills.
On the whole, I really don’t have much to complain about regarding Come, Sweet Death. Sure, “Deathspawn” still is the weakest song on any release it’s been on, and the pacing is a little off, but other than that it was just what I wanted to see from the band, that being evolution. They put in the work and improved not only on what made them stand out, but there’s a noticeable uptick in quality across the board, a quality that I can only hope they’ll continue to exhibit in the future.
Highlights: Venomous, The Perennial Desire, Teeth of the Hydra, Come, Sweet Death

Rating: 85% 

  

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