THE LURKING FEAR (Sweden) - Death, Madness, Horror, Decay (sealed LP copy) (2021) 180gram Black vinyl w/A2 poster. Death Metal fans were excited – and 
rightly so – when it was announced several Swedish legends of the scene had come
 together to create their own missive that threw back to the Old School Death Metal of yore, replete with an (un)healthy dose of Lovecraftian 
horror. 
The cosmic beast formed from this meeting of minds is THE LURKING FEAR, and where their debut was a platter of shifting, malevolent dread, its follow-up, Death, Madness, Horror, Decay, ups the ante on it in every way. Three of the members already play in the much-revered AT THE GATES, including renowned vocalist Tomas Lindberg,
 but this doesn’t sound like them at all. Gone is the Melodic Death Metal and in its place is sheer skull-rattling Death Metal that drags 
listeners to the edge of the cosmic abyss and hurls them in. 
Death, Madness, Horror, Decay (the band's 2nd full-length studio effort) is more of a collaborative effort and is all the stronger for it. There’s a clearer sense of identity and thematic cohesion throughout the record even as it branches out from just Lovecraft to encompass all manner of cosmic terror. It’s perhaps no surprise given the pedigree of its members, but it’s a must-listen for all fans of Old School Death as well as those who enjoy the disquieting sense that there is something greater than us, and it’s terrifying.  Century Media – 19439933001