Great Deceiver

Gaining a mountain of notoriety based on the fact that the Great Deceiver's vocalist, Tomas Lindberg, once sang in the immensely influential At The Gates (see Gothenburg sound, the Haunted, etc.), Jet Black Art surpasses the hype, as it is simply a brutal and unrelentingly exercise in metallic mastery, despite being just a five-song EP. Employing the same fusion of death metal and hardcore that Entombed struck upon with Hollowman and Wolverine Blues (before they became lost in an inconsistent rock quagmire), coupled with the down-tuned riffs that recall the heaviest moments of Max's final days in Sepultura, and a nod to Tomas's Gates past, in the musical melody and thrash pacing, Jet Black Art is both a throwback and an evolution. Of course, the bile-laden vocals of Tomas suit the music to perfection, driving it throughout to reach greater levels of menace. "Cornered Rat," the title track and "The End Made Flesh and Blood" are all excellent tracks that demonstrate the potential the Great Deceiver has and how far they've already come with Jet Black Art. Fear and tremble at the thought of their impending full-length.