Description

2023 press. Double album on black vinyls with gatefold cover and slipmat

After the nebulous void that was Entombed in 1994-1999, it was time for a swift boot to the ass, an album to kick start the band back towards the positive, creative direction they were beginning to unravel with their third album Wolverine Blues, and though it’s hardly perfect, Uprising was such an event. For all intensive purposes, this should have been the album they released in place of To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth in 1997, an effort that both capitalizes on the band’s rock n roll evolution and hands out a spanking on almost every track, while conscious that this, after all, a metal band, not some dull ass alternative stoner rock affair that lost its soul in all the miasma of the misdirected 90s. The tone is actually not all that different from their official fourth album To Ride…, it has the same dirty punk rock lustre, only this time the energy of their youth is in fine form, and the band offers 43 minutes of driving punishment that is worthy of cruising (or speeding) around in your car, hunting for cheap liquor or suicide. The simple aesthetic of the cover seems almost profound, the icon of a band who wishes to strip away all the mistakes and mediocrity of their downturn and get back to basics, what truly matters: the rock. And as the jangling guitars herald the epoch of Seeing Red, you can instantly hear a re-invigoration which reaches down deep into the testicles and summons forth all the anger and reproach that characterized Left Hand Path, dowsed in a more primal coating of the band’s punk rock influence. There are no amazing riffs here, in fact it’s a pretty simple tune, but it’s compelling enough to get the dry tongue once again salivating for what might come next, and that’s the forceful rocker Say It In Slugs, which honors its killer title with a confident mid pace that reeks of a recent fist fucking (your choice of orifice). Won’t Back Down is a little brighter and groovier, but follows a pretty similar pattern, with a nice bass injection into raucous hardcore punk. Again, no riffs here that you’ll freak out over, but it doesn’t require them, its a mindless deposit of energy waiting to piggyback your ride from a highway pit stop. Insanity’s Contagious is a darker trip to the bottom of the bottle, its Neanderthal riffing loud and proud while L-G Petrov splatters his gut-wrenching meditations across the backside of the guitars. With 12 tracks of general good quality and lowdown, dirty attitude, Uprising is a huge improvement over its direct predecessor, Same Difference. This is the album Entombed needed to put out at this point in their career, and though its not the stuff of which a Left Hand Path or Clandestine was born, it’s an acceptable expression of the band’s many influences. The lyrics aren’t very good, but they do represent the personal, blue collar aesthetic the band was touting. Very few of the tracks would qualify if I were to assemble a best of Entombed mix, but they are consistent and the record is a blast to listen straight through on a sunny, dusty weekend road trip. It’s also an early indicator of the band’s gradual return to their roots, but this is better exemplified by the follow-up, Morning Star.

Track listing:
1. Seeing Red
2. Say It In Slugs
3. Won’t Back Down
4. Insanity’s Contagious
5. Something Out Of Nothing
6. Scottish Hell
7. Time Out
8. The Itch
9. Year In, Year Out
10. Returning To Madness
11. Come Clean
12. In The Flesh