Shift starts off like a long lost Entombed record, capturing the ultra sludgy/heavy sound of old swedish death metal with the song "Particles." We see the band subtely incorparating some old influences into their already unique grindcore sound "High on Hate" thrashes around quite a bit and "Circle of Defeat" sounds like a Celtic Frost tribute if I ever heard one. Lets not forget the Entombed-esque production values that just screams SWEDEN. Their are even some At The Gates sounding moments like the menacing "Hets," sung entirely in swedish (and you cant even tell without reading the foreign ass lyrics!)
The band blast through 24 tracks in less than 40 mins and they leave you craving more. Mieszko's vocals are filled with sheer disperation and disdain for humanity. Drummer Anders Jakobson gallops along in true punk fashion before unleashing blast beat after blast from his kit with total ease and utter precision. Its clear through the always present aggression found in the music and the lyrics, that Nasum is still pissed off at the state of the world and the ways of modern society. But its on tracks like "Fury" and "Darkness Falls" you get the sense that they genuinely care about this stuff and just arent screaming propaganda, they actually want to do something about it. That is what makes the news about Mieszko so much worse, because at the rate the band was progessing with a few more records they might have been able to.
Standout Tracks:
Particles
The Engine of Death
The Deepest Hole
Circle of Defeat
Hets
Fury
Ett Inflammerat Sar
Darkness Falls