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Recent Entombed efforts – like, everything since Wolverine Blues – have been pretty damned sad, ranging from okay to plain sucky. This, however, does not suck at all. This was Entombed's debut album, and it pretty much set the mold for all the Swedish Death Metal that came after. Their sophomore album, Clandestine was their best, but this one really gave the metal scene a kick in the ass.

At the time, no one had ever heard anything as vicious as this. Entombed took the standard Death Metal sound in the direction that would forever after be linked to their homeland. Reportedly recorded at the now-legendary Sunlight Studios for a measly $2000, Left Hand Path set a new standard for heaviness and brutality. What gets your attention about this album is that guitar tone – that buzzing, chainsaw sound that I really don't think anyone else has ever gotten right. But what keeps you listening is the solid, energetic songwriting. Even without the 'gimmick' of the guitar sound, this would still rip you a new asshole. Entombed were obviously influenced by Thrash bands like Slayer as much as by other Death Metal acts, and the almost punky vibe in places even calls to mind bands like Discharge and early Sodom. Classic rippers like "Revel In Flesh", "When Life Has Ceased" and "Bitter Loss" successfully combine Thrash riffage with Death crunch for a killer ride.

There's a reason this is classic. Entombed have been trying really hard for, oh, ten years now to avoid doing anything cool, but they can't erase the indelible landmarks they left on the metal landscape with their first two albums. Mandatory.