Californians Fatalist have embarked on a very tricky business. With their debut The Depths of Inhumanity they have attempted to pay an obvious homage to their undeniable influences, without turning their music into a parody. The names of Wes Caley and Neil Burkdoll aren’t exactly Carlsson and Svensson, but the guys are obviously heavily, more like head-over-heels, invested into Stockholm-style Swedish death metal. The one which Nihilist, Entombed, Dismember, Grave and Unleashed played. The one, which thick tubed-out guitar sound, crusty all over, depraved, contaminated, with barking vocals, is impossible not to recognize. If this music is known to you and it is dear to your heart, two chords into the album you will know where Fatalist is coming from. If you have no idea what I am talking about, I might as well not waste the virtual ink.

Actually, the fate did an interesting trick on Fatalist. At first, Wes Caley wanted to organize a Stockholm cover band, but as a couple of guys failed to commit, him and Neil went after the original songs. As a result, the following three parties, the band themselves, Ibex Moon Records and the fans of this tried-and-true genre will benefit from Fatalist (no play on Nihilist, I wonder) emergence. Without this band formation we would not have the gnarly Enthralled by Pain, hulking and strappin’ Homicidal Epitaph, thrashing crowd raiser and mosh pit starter Morbid Derangement, or racing Entombed bow-down Impulse to Kill and slightly slower, but no less brutal, Death Will Remain.

Fatalist does not simply copy riffs, although the sound similarity is unmistakable. At the same time, not they are trying to marry Stockholm and Gothenburg, but the band does have more melodic leads than early Entombed or Dismember. Standalone escapades, or more organically woven in air-raid sirens (Internal Misery), the band has their own brand of melodicism finishing with Rivers of Blood. Don’t expect Fatalist to turn into Dark Tranquillity, but I do hear a quick legato from The Wonders at Your Feet in the extended solo from Homicidal Epitaph.

I anticipate that the opinions would be split on The Depths of Inhumanity. Those who need everything original with their music need not apply. The fans of the style wanting Entombed to never have changed their sound would be mighty pleased.