Following the towering
Wolverine Blues
,
Entombed
left
Earache
to sign with
EastWest
, where they recorded one album. It was never released and the band was unceremoniously dropped, leaving them to move to the indie
Music for Nations
, where they released
To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth
. The band may be battered and scarred, but they're not worn out, as this guitar-driven record proves. If anything, the turmoil has added depth to their music, making the best moments of
To Ride
cut deeper than before. Musically, not much has changed, though the band has turned up the gain on their guitars a bit and play with less discipline than they did on
. This regression toward the onslaught of their debut album,
Left Hand Path
, brings an added sense of brutality to their sound; unfortunately, it also detracts from any hint of well-thought-out songwriting, making the group sound sloppy. Where
, and to a lesser degree
Clandestine
, found the group both disciplined and brutal,
finds them just being brutal. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine