Review by Michael on October 10, 2026.

Boredom must be a terrible word for Sebastian Ramstedt, whom you might know as the main songwriter and guitarist in Necrophobic. Why? Well, apart from his main band, he has a few other projects on the go, and with no new material from In Aphelion this year, it's time for some old-school death metal with Eldfödd and their album "The Night Belongs To The Dead".

Having already released a very nice appetiser ("Risen From The Flames" EP in 2025), I was eager to give the full-length debut a listen. The cover alone gives you an idea of what will be unleashed upon the listener over the next 43 minutes: raw death metal and a dirty bastard of a mix between Swedish and filthy American legends (which, of course, means Autopsy). So, naturally, Sebastian and his companions (the usual suspects, Johan Bergebäck and Perra Karlsson) don't reinvent the wheel, but that's not what Eldfödd was created for. This is pure worship of late-'80s and early-'90s death metal, with bands such as Carnage, Dismember (logically, if you mention Carnage), Entombed, and Grave serving as obvious reference points. But Necrophobic also shines through quite often, especially when it comes to the guitar riffing. I guess that's simply in Sebastian's genes.

Every now and then, though, when you least expect it, you get a few surprises. "Torturer" kicks off with some cool Bathory worship. "A Fine Day To Die," I would say… but wrapped in some ugly death metal. Nevertheless, Eldfödd still aim to be catchy. Not so catchy that you could accuse them of softening their death metal, but just enough to make the tracks stick in your mind after listening. "Suffocating Halo" is a good example. It's a focused mid-tempo stomper with some cool twists. Songs like this one breathe pure death metal DNA and simply blow you away. You can also hear the guys' musical skills at work here. This is no run-of-the-mill stuff; it's top-notch.

Speaking of musical skills, the vocal performance also deserves attention. Erik Sahlström, the main gargler in General Surgery, delivers some seriously grim and raw vocals with an amazingly pissed-off undertone. The raspiness and subtle nuances in his voice enhance the aggressive atmosphere throughout the nine songs (plus intro) and work really well here. Higher-pitched or darker shouts wouldn't create the same dirty, rotten atmosphere. Apropos of the intro, it sounds quite interesting, as if the Grim Reaper were about to meet Pinhead.

The production is very dynamic, perhaps the complete opposite of what Andy Sneap would do. You can clearly make out the individual instruments, and the tracks have plenty of highs and lows. The drum production stands out in particular. I often find that drums sound either too thin or too heavy, but in this case, they kick ass without being pushed too far into the foreground, providing a solid framework for everything else.

So, let's hope Sebastian Ramstedt stays this busy for the next 666 years—or, as Eldfödd would say, "The Night Belongs To The Dead." If you're into old-school death metal, this is probably a must-have in 2026 and definitely one of the year's highlights so far.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Michael on October 10, 2026.

Boredom must be a terrible word for Sebastian Ramstedt, whom you might know as the main songwriter and guitarist in Necrophobic. Why? Well, apart from his main band, he has a few other projects on the go, and with no new material from In Aphelion this year, it's time for some old-school death metal with Eldfödd and their album "The Night Belongs To The Dead".

Having already released a very nice appetiser ("Risen From The Flames" EP in 2025), I was eager to give the full-length debut a listen. The cover alone gives you an idea of what will be unleashed upon the listener over the next 43 minutes: raw death metal and a dirty bastard of a mix between Swedish and filthy American legends (which, of course, means Autopsy). So, naturally, Sebastian and his companions (the usual suspects, Johan Bergebäck and Perra Karlsson) don't reinvent the wheel, but that's not what Eldfödd was created for. This is pure worship of late-'80s and early-'90s death metal, with bands such as Carnage, Dismember (logically, if you mention Carnage), Entombed, and Grave serving as obvious reference points. But Necrophobic also shines through quite often, especially when it comes to the guitar riffing. I guess that's simply in Sebastian's genes.

Every now and then, though, when you least expect it, you get a few surprises. "Torturer" kicks off with some cool Bathory worship. "A Fine Day To Die," I would say… but wrapped in some ugly death metal. Nevertheless, Eldfödd still aim to be catchy. Not so catchy that you could accuse them of softening their death metal, but just enough to make the tracks stick in your mind after listening. "Suffocating Halo" is a good example. It's a focused mid-tempo stomper with some cool twists. Songs like this one breathe pure death metal DNA and simply blow you away. You can also hear the guys' musical skills at work here. This is no run-of-the-mill stuff; it's top-notch.

Speaking of musical skills, the vocal performance also deserves attention. Erik Sahlström, the main gargler in General Surgery, delivers some seriously grim and raw vocals with an amazingly pissed-off undertone. The raspiness and subtle nuances in his voice enhance the aggressive atmosphere throughout the nine songs (plus intro) and work really well here. Higher-pitched or darker shouts wouldn't create the same dirty, rotten atmosphere. Apropos of the intro, it sounds quite interesting, as if the Grim Reaper were about to meet Pinhead.

The production is very dynamic, perhaps the complete opposite of what Andy Sneap would do. You can clearly make out the individual instruments, and the tracks have plenty of highs and lows. The drum production stands out in particular. I often find that drums sound either too thin or too heavy, but in this case, they kick ass without being pushed too far into the foreground, providing a solid framework for everything else.

So, let's hope Sebastian Ramstedt stays this busy for the next 666 years—or, as Eldfödd would say, "The Night Belongs To The Dead." If you're into old-school death metal, this is probably a must-have in 2026 and definitely one of the year's highlights so far.

Rating: 9 out of 10