Spit or Swallow

The mid-90s saw the 'dumbing down' of death metal. The genre became more predictable, less imaginative, and began to lose its 'outsider' edginess. This was a bad period for the genre. There aren't many records from this era that I revere, or even like. Ironically, this was the period when I was buying most of the death metal records I own (being a couple of years too young to have witnessed the golden age). Even as a kid I could see the death metal simplification trend, it was obvious on albums as different as "World Demise" and "The Bleeding" (in America), or "Wolverine Blues" and "Erase" (in Europe).

Konkhra's second album ("Spit or Swallow") sits somewhere in the middle of all this. This record is a typical example of death metal from the period, almost too typical. The production is crisp, the guitar tone is ludicrously heavy, the vocalist has a growl that can scorch paint. It all sounds impressive on the surface. I remember hearing the title track on a (magazine) compilation and being impressed. It was exactly what my teenage brain wanted to hear in death metal; fast, brutal, clear, with oodles of aggression. Oddly, I didn’t buy this album at the time, perhaps the stupid cover artwork deterred me.

The music has aged as well as the cover art. The playing is jerky and the songs lack coherence. The leads are bland (at best), the riff transitions are disjointed, but not disjointed enough to sound abstract and chaotic. Everything sounds like another band. Sometimes Bolt Thrower, sometimes Deicide, or Carcass, or Cannibal Corpse, Entombed, Gorefest, Sinister and so on. That is the problem, Konkhra sounds like a hodgepodge. The song-writing reflects this confusion; compare the doomy, simple "Life Eraser" with the faster, jerkier "Hail the Body, Burden the Spirit". Nothing here builds from anything else.

This version of Konkhra was unconvincing as a death metal band. Perhaps Anders Lundemark, the main song-writer, realised this. He subsequently replaced the entire band with new members (adding all-stars James Murphy and Chris Kontos to the line-up). The result was an underappreciated and interesting third album ("Weed Out the Weak") which incorporated groove metal and thrash elements. That album is leagues better than this one. Konkhra is a rare example of a death metal band improving their music by making it more commercially accessible.

KONKHRA were a phenomenon, as they were destined to make it big…and failed.
1. They always played the right sound at the right time. They were one of the first Scandinavian Death Metal acts, they leaned towards Death ‘n’ Roll during its short heyday and after that they changed their style again to a more Neo-Thrash sound.
2. They had the means and the support to become famous, as they were able to produce several promo videos (“Facelift” even aired regularly on MTV’s “Headbanger’s Ball”) and to tour around the world (including a support slot for King Diamond in 2001 and playing the prestigious Roskilde Festival even twice).
3. They were able to work with the best people. They had the best producers / engineers (Skogsberg, Estby, Wojno, Madsen) record / mix their albums in the best studios (Sunlight, Take One, Sound Temple, The Plant) and a few of the biggest names in the Metal scene even joined the band: James Murphy, Chris Kontos and THE HAUNTED’s Jensen.

However, the critics never really liked them and the fans seem to have forgotten them. Although the “Weed Out The Week” album sold really well and their Facelift EP even reached number 42 on the Danish singles chart, it should speak for itself that they’ve been on the Archives for 4 1/2 years now and this is the first review for any of their releases!

Without a doubt, the highlight of this album is the brilliant “Facelift”, one of the biggest hits the Death Metal genre has ever spawned. Not far behind, though, are the two mid-tempo tracks “Centuries” and, even more so, the dragging “Life Eraser”, which is driven by a highly memorable riff and is therefore just as catchy yet heavy as the aforementioned “Facelift”.

The rest of the album is a balanced mix of up-tempo and (sometimes pretty groovy) mid-tempo parts, often bordering on Death ‘n” Roll and reminiscent of PUNGENT STENCH and CARCASS’ “Heartwork” (which came out one year before).

Finally, I have to say that of all the albums I know that were recorded at the Sunlight Studio this is the best sounding. Compared to the releases of ENTOMBED, DISMEMBER or GRAVE “Spit Or Swallow” has a much crisper production, as the sound is less bass-heavy and is therefore far more transparent plus on this album you may hear the heaviest distorted guitars ever recorded!

“Spit Or Swallow” is a fantastic album by one of Scandinavia’s longest running Death Metal bands that has never got the attention and the acknowledgement it deserved. Or to put it another way, this is far too good to be overlooked!