MORBID SAINT - Swallowed by Hell LP HRR 955LP, ltd 1000, 400 x black, 400 x transparent red + 200 x orange marbled vinyl, insert, download card, 2nd pressing: ltd 500, 300 x black + 200 x transparent yellow vinyl Pat Lind - vocals Jay Visser - guitar Jim Fergades - guitar Bob Zabel - bass DJ Bagemehl - drums 01 Rise from the Ashes 02 Swallowed by Hell 03 Bloody Floors 04 Burn Pit 05 Fear Incarnate 06 Fuck Them All 07 Bleed Them Dry 08 Pine Tuxedo 09 Killer Instinct 10 Psychosis 1st pressing: SOLD OUT! 2nd pressing: AVAILABLE

In a way, it is quite sensational to see another MORBID SAINT album released at this point in time, meaning more than 30 years after their second LP “Destruction System” was recorded but not finished, only to be officially published recently. Then again, “Swallowed By Hell” doesn’t exactly come out of the blue… In fact, the prospect of delivering new music in their own unique death/thrash metal style was one of the main reasons why the core members reunited in 2010 (and above all, stayed together) in the first place. During its initial run from 1984 to ’94, the band wasn’t even close to having the final word, especially with regards to their seminal first record “Spectrum of Death” (1990). “We started writing the new songs in early to mid 2022,” guitarist and co-founder Jim Fergades says. “There are a few older ideas, but for the most part, it’s fresh stuff. We felt the song ‘Swallowed By Hell’ summarized the underlying theme of the entire material, so it became the title track. There are many different evils in the world today – and many, many ways for us to be consumed by that evil.” “Swallowed By Hell” was born from a remote creative exchange, with ideas being bounced back and forth between all members, who steadily improved and built on them to create a ten-track barrage of extreme metal like it’s become rare these days – utterly punishing yet musically sophisticated, pushing limits but not for its own sake, and topped off by an artwork from the iconic Ed Repka (Death, Megadeth). “The group is much more focused now that we are all older,” Jim relates with respect to the album’s direction and feel, which evoke the qualities of their debut without giving the impression of a cheap rehash. “All of us strive to compliment each other musically to make sure this is the best product we can deliver to our fans with no exceptions.” Recorded at The Belle City Sound Company by Chris Djuricic (Num Skull, Disinter) with finishing touches put on at Chernobyl Studios by Scott Elliott, “Swallowed By Hell” reeks of the old school – think Demolition Hammer, Sadus, Devastation – but plants its feet firmly on contemporary ground. Which is not just promotional drivel either: “We have learned how fortunate we are to have each other and don’t take our companionship for granted,” Jim concludes. “This is a great group of guys, the best line-up we could ask for, and I’m very honoured to be able to make music with them. We now welcome all opportunities, and depending on which ones come our way, you never know what may happen…” Andreas Schiffmann