18th July 2024

Review: “Helvetet Pa Jorden” by Dead Man’s Path

A Swedish Death Metal band hailing from the deep forests of Dalecarlia, Dead Man’s Path were formed in late 2019 by guitarist Jonas Axelsson (Totem Skin) and vocalist Pontus Dahlin (The Memory Returns). Drawing inspiration from the very roots of the genre and bands like At The Gates, Entombed and Cannibal Corpse the five piece are rounded out by bassist Gustaf Karlsson (Röta), drummer Philip Andersson (Lysís) and guitarist Christer Hedberg although that wasn’t always the case. Instead as they created songs which delve into the dark and mystical, telling tales of creatures from Swedish folklore, such as Näcken, myrlingar, and skogsrået with 2020 debut EP “I, Abomination” and it’s follow EP “Arcana Celestia, Inferum Verda”, the sands of time have slipped through their hands, leading to the departure of their original rhythm section. Their latest burnt offering is “Helvetet på jorden” which translates as “Hell on earth“, a DIY or DIE concept record which follows the dark folklore storyline of Gruvfrun, a guardian spirit of mines. To that end, the vocals were recorded 80 meters underground in an old abandoned mine to give them a natural echo and reverb and add an authentic, subterranean feel…

The opening cut and title track “Helvetet på jorden” (or “Hell on earth“) begins in sombre fashion with a rich melody from a pair of guitars accompanied by the sound of bird song at dawns first light. Meandering as a storm rolls in and thunder rumbles in the distance, the instrumental is a curiosity which feels like it belongs to a Folk Metal act and would perhaps be better fitting at the end of the record. As a palate cleanser it frees the mind of all ills so if that was the intension, then it serves its purpose, allowing “Children of the Ram” to inflict some damage. Floating between Melodic Death Metal and 2003 American Metalcore with tasteful leads, a scream-a-long chorus and bass solo of a kind, the second track is infectious without necessarily doing anything you haven’t heard before. That’s not to say that the wheel needs to be re-invented because what they do they do incredibly well and there are flavours of bands like It Dies Today without some of the polish. Flipping the script “Gruvfrun” (or “Miner’s Wife“) is entirely in the bands native tongue and offers a soaring extended solo that is sublime as well as a wealth of thunderous percussive battery. While to a non Swedish speaker the language might be foreign, you can hear a distinctive emotive quality in the vocal performance which gives it another dimension, as if there is more to the lyrical narrative than meets the eye.

A conjoined twin separated at birth “Preserved in Darkness” then continues the drum pattern of it’s predecessor before building the mountain into another powerful scream-a-long chorus of the finest order. Soaked in melancholia as well as dark thoughts, this one has some glorious leads and may even have you singing along on the first listen, such is the quality of the song writing. Add a whispered final verse and you have something that borders on spellbinding which smooths the transition into “Underjorden kallar” (or “The underworld is calling“) and allows it to slap that little bit harder. Another in Swedish, it punches above its weight with gang chanted moments adding a fresh dynamic to the classic guitar sounds. The vocals are scalding, alternating in levels between harsh and shriller tones so as to give the impression of more than one vocalist at times and the final moments find Dahlin at his most vicious. All in all a solid record which has all the hallmarks of being something that will lead to a debut album which slays in 2025 [7/10]

Track Listing