Formed in 2015 after the well documented dissolution and formation of Entombed and Entombed A.D., Swedish supergoup Firespawn (known briefly as Fireborn) comprises guitarists Victor Brandt (Entombed AD) and Fredrik Folkare (Unleashed), bassist Alex “Impaler” Friberg (Necrophobic), former Dark Funeral drummer Matte Modin, and of course, legendary Entombed vocalist L-G Petrov.

Two years on from their steady but fairly unspectacular debut album Shadow Realms, Firespawn return with the more accomplished follow-up, The Reprobate (both Century Media). Recorded over two months in three different studios—Studio Maskinrummet, Necrophonic Studios, and Chrome Studio, the band aren’t doing anything markedly different this time, they’re just doing it a little better.

Opener ‘Serpent of the Ocean’ asserts itself quickly, while ‘Blood Eagle’ sees the band joining the likes of Anthrax and Amon Amarth in writing about the rather painful Viking method of execution. Bursting with groove and brutality, ‘Full of Hate’ is the album’s first bonafide highlight, and is followed by the equally monstrous ‘Damnatio Ad Bestias’ and ‘Death By Impalement’.

However, as with their debut, things start getting a little repetitive around the halfway mark. The riffs are still satisfyingly savage, the title track is suitably impressive, ‘Nightwalkers’ is a great closer, and there are some nice melodies in ‘The Whitechapel Murderer’ even if the opening riff has clearly been lifted from ‘Postmortem’ by Slayer. The familiar Gojira and Behemoth-isms of the debut are still welcome, and Petrov’s vocals are an improvement on the band’s first release, but there’s just a nagging sense of Déjà vu as the album progresses.

The Reprobate might not be the best Death Metal album of the year, but aided by a strong production, excellent performances, and a hatful of quality riffs, it’s still one worthy of your attention.

7.5/10

GARY ALCOCK