Artist: ENTOMBED
Album: LEFT HAND PATH (CD)

Year: 1990
Media type: CD

Left Hand Path is the debut album from Entombed from 1990 that is known for defining the style of Swedish death metal by being the first recording to use the Tomas Skogsberg/Sunlight Studios "buzzsaw" guitar tone. The tone was created by heavily detuned electric guitars (To B) used with a maxed out Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal Pedal and the DS-1 Distortion pedal into a Peavey amp. The originator of this guitar tone was Nihilist guitarist Leif "Leffe" Cuzner. The album's liner notes give thanks to Nirvana, but the band in question is the Swedish death metal group Nirvana 2002, not the famous grunge act. Rumors state that the album has digital drums, which has been confirmed by the band that they used a digital drumkit when they recorded the album, which was distorted by various guitar-distortion pedals.

The title of the album refers to a Left-Hand Path belief system. Guitarist Alex Hellid found the term in Anton LaVey's book The Satanic Bible. This is explored in the eponymous opening track of the album, with the first verse saying:

I am my own God, master, slave
And I will be beyond the grave
No one will take my soul away
I carry my own will and make my day
The more melodic, ambient section that comes in at 3:54 in the title track is a cover of the theme of the 1979 horror film Phantasm.

All tracks by Entombed (lyrics: Nicke Andersson and Alex Hellid / music: Nicke Andersson, Uffe Cederlund and Leffe Cuzner)
Produced by Tomas Skogsberg, Entombed
Cover art by Dan Seagrave

TRACKLIST:

1."Left Hand Path" – 6:41
2."Drowned" – 4:04
3."Revel in Flesh" – 3:45
4."When Life Has Ceased" – 4:13
5."Supposed to Rot" – 2:06
6."But Life Goes On" – 3:02
7."Bitter Loss" – 4:25
8."Morbid Devourment" – 5:27
9."Abnormally Deceased" – 3:01
10."The Truth Beyond" – 3:28
11."Carnal Leftovers" (Bonus Track) – 3:00
12."Premature Autopsy" (Bonus Track) – 4:26

LINE-UP:

Lars Goran Petrov - Vocals
Uffe Cederlund - Guitars, Bass
Alex Hellid - Guitars
Nicke Andersson - Drums, Bass, Logo