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Lasse Pyykkö is on fire right now. First of all, he was one of the members responsible for the legendary Finnish act Phlegethon. Next, he’s practically branded himself as one of metal’s best contributors and strongest work horses by being involved in- and subsequently releasing- a fuckton of Razorback Records projects including Hooded Menace, Vacant Coffin, Acid Witch, and two upcoming acts: Shrouded and Twist Ending. And everything he’s worked on so far has had a Midas Touch phenomena in that it’s all ranged from extremely well-crafted to excellent metal.

Of course, nothing lasts forever and even the best stumble.

BUT NOT YET MOTHERFUCKERS!!! LASSE IS GONNA MAKE YOU HIS BITCH!!!!

That last sentence is pretty much Claws in a nutshell. Eschewing the death/doom and early Earache worship of Lasse’s past 3 Razorback offerings, Claws is a completely one-man project dedicated to the forgotten sounds of Sweden’s Crematory and Finland’s Abhorrence. Now, there’s only 2 reactions to that:

1) “Who are those guys?” – GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE AND GO DEMO DIGGING ASSHOLE!

2) “Whoa. That… is… fucking… AWESOME!” – I love you. Will you let me lick you? Please let me lick you.

Yeah, needless to say the prospect of an album that captures those 2 bands’ essences is pretty much a dream project. And Absorbed in the Nethervoid more or less captures this dark, dirty, and dreary essence. It possesses both bands’ murky, extreme riffing and sense of melody with a bit of Abhorrence’s atmosphere. And while it’s a considerably cleaner production, Absorbed in the Nethervoid can still recreate the sense of dark brutality and foreboding dread that was present in both bands’ demo offerings and it still has that thick, fuzzy production sound that death metal enthusiasts have come to know and love.

What’s even more impressive is that everything on here was entirely handled by Lasse: bass, guitars, drums, and vocals. Granted, one-man bands aren’t at all unheard of and quite many put out excellent releases, but Claws has a feeling of authenticity that’s not usually present on these one-man offerings. It captures everything morbid, heavy, and bleak about Scandinavian death metal’s most elite acts, and does it with a flair that would make you think it was created by a full 4-piece sitting inside some decrepit studio in 1993.

This isn’t to say that Claws isn’t without some of Lasse’s trademark techniques. The vocal approach hasn’t changed much from his other Razorback projects and some of Lasse’s guitar melodies have a distinctive Hooded Menace ring here or there, but this gives Absorbed in the Nethervoid a welcome feeling of familiarity for fans of Lasse’s past bands who are just breaking into the record.

Absorbed in the Nethervoid is easily my most anticipated Razorback Record of 2009, and I’m not disappointed. Claws delivers a much needed revival of a classic Scandinavian style, and delivers a truly mandatory death metal album. Grab this fucker.

Oh, and if Crematory made you think “German” please take a set of dull razors and proceed to de-glove the skin of your penis. There is only one true Crematory, and it ain’t German.

Review byNecro-tron