There’s something ironic about the title ‘Aberrations’. A word that implies deviation, diversion, apostasy from the norm — and yet, the Stockholm-based XORSIST deliver exactly the opposite: an album deeply rooted in the great traditions of Swedish Death Metal, with their eyes fixed on the first half of the 90s. And that isn’t a criticism — it’s an observation.
Their third full-length album is neither lazy nor indifferent. On the contrary, it’s the work of a band that has consciously chosen to polish and elevate a specific style of semi-melodic ‘old school’ Death Metal to levels that far exceed its years of existence. The result is so groomed and professional that it almost guarantees it will reach every Swedeath fan looking for their next big moment.
A bit of history: Xorsist were born in the pandemic year 2020 as a teenage trio with a clear purpose — to play Death Metal. Their first demo/single (2021) revealed strong influences from Death/Thrash with a Sodom-like unbridled momentum, riffs that referenced the classic “Fire, Death, Fate” by Insanity and an Autopsy-like savagery. Raw, hard, honest.
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The debut LP ‘Deadly Possession’ (2022) — unfortunately now inaccessible on streaming — was work recorded at Sunlight Studios with a psychotic, almost rocky character that strongly recalled the spirit of Unleashed’s first album. In the end though, from the original trio only guitarist/singer and most likely main composer Gustav Ryderfelt remained.
The second album, ‘At The Somber Steps Of Serenity’ (2023, Prosthetic Records), brought a new trio line-up and a much more typical Sunlight Studios sound — the characteristic HM-2 buzz up front, melodic nods that referenced Dismember, mid tempos and strong bass performances. A logical evolution, although the thrash frenzy of the beginnings had been lost.
With that history in mind, ‘Aberrations’ is both an impressive achievement and an expected result at the same time. The opener “Rest Impending” faithfully follows the Dismember/Unleashed playbook — and does it brilliantly. So does “Faceless”. The band has smoothed every raw edge of its attack, delivering a product that sets the modern professional standard for Swedish Death Metal — nothing less, nothing more.
But there are moments that go beyond “good and reliable”. “An Elegy Unfolds” is the absolute highlight of the record — the most studied and inspired melodic death track they have ever written, with guitar moves that breathe confidence and a groove at ~2:27 that hits you unexpectedly and keeps you there. “His Grounded Gaze” moves into late-90s Fleshcrawl territory, while at the same time bringing bassist Birk Castenmalm into a leading role.
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The ten tracks in ~39 minutes flow with such coherence that the album seems to resist its own end — acoustic interludes, short burners and more extended tracks alternate with rare dexterity. The closing with “Memorial Cries” brings back the doom-and-gloom mood of the previous album in an appropriate final act, while the mostly instrumental “Disbelief” may not be for all tastes.
Production-wise, ‘Aberrations’ is flawless: the bass sits high in the mix, the drums have weight and presence of equal force to the wall of rhythm guitars, and the sound overall has a clarity you rarely encounter. The cover in black-and-white tones of the Seagrave type and the band’s new logo complete an image that shows a band that has invested seriously in every detail.
Xorsist don’t revolt. They don’t discover new worlds. But what they do, they do with such devotion and precision that the result stands out amid the sea of retro Swedeath imitations. For anyone who loves this sound, ‘Aberrations’ is exactly what they’re looking for.
Unreservedly recommended.
