Review: Harrowed – The Eternal Hunger
Harrowed are dudes who still love the sound of a buzzsaw guitar tone cutting through a wall of crust and filth. If you can relate, “The Eternal Hunger” is your kind of album. Harrowed, the Stockholm-based duo, have crafted a debut that worships HM-2 sound and 80’s metal.
From the opening riff of “Bayonet”, it’s clear “The Eternal Hunger” isn’t here to fuck around. The production is raw, physical, and unapologetically analog. The HM-2 infused guitars scrape like nails on a coffin lid and vocals are a caustic, guttural spew. There’s a punkish snarl running through tracks like “The Reins” and “Blood Covenant”, giving the album a restless, almost hardcored energy that keeps it from sinking into the tar pit of retro worship. It’s not just Swedeath, it’s Swedeath with a middle finger raised high.
The title track, “The Eternal Hunger”, is a masterclass in dynamic brutality, shifting from haunting, clean arpeggios (reminiscent of “Seasons in the Abyss“-era Slayer) to half-time grooves that hit like a hammer to the skull. And then there’s “Ultra-Terrene Phantasmagoria”, a standout cut that twists and turns like a knife in the dark, balancing esoteric riffing with a groove so infectious it borders on criminal.
At 36 minutes, “The Eternal Hunger” doesn’t overstay its welcome. Each of the eight song is a tight affair. But don’t mistake brevity for simplicity, as these songs are packed with riffs, each one more vile than the last. The album’s cohesion is its greatest strength; there’s no filler, no fat, just pure, unrelenting death metal with a crust punk edge that keeps things ugly and unpredictable. The slower, doom-tinged moments are where Harrowed really flex their muscles. These passages ooze atmosphere, dragging you down into the muck before the band rips you back out with a riff so good it should be illegal.
“The Eternal Hunger” is not revolutionary. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel. But it makes that wheel spin with a venomous, unhinged energy that’s hard to ignore. This is an album for purists, punks, and anyone who still believes death metal should sound like it was recorded in a filthy basement. If you’re tired of over-polished, sterile death metal, this is the antidote.
