Holy shit what an album. When this one first came out I wasn't a huge fan of it. I liked the old school feel of Breeding Death and Resurrection Through Carnage.
Where the first two albums have that wonderful Sunlight Studio buzz-saw guitar sound, Nightmares... has a squeaky clean Abyss Studio sound. Where the first two albums were dirty and gritty and even a bit sloppy, Nightmares is tight and polished. I really didn't like the new direction they were taking.
15 odd years later I can appreciate this album for what it is. It's not the same band that made Resurrection Through Carnage, the vocalist is different, there is a new drummer and the band is using two guitarists now. The music reflects these changes with a sped up and more aggressive style of death metal.
Nightmares... is a damn good album. The polish and tighter playing work much better for these songs than I originally gave them credit. Just listening to Peter open the album with "Kill them for they must die!" sets the tone - Bloodbath is still brutal and punishing.
It may have taken me nearly a decade to come around on this album but some things just take time. At this point I consider Nightmares to be an essential death metal album. Bloodbath is a super-group and on this release they show what some of Sweden's best can do.
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