There is nothing new about Swedish metallers from BLOODBATH having members from well known bands like Katatonia and Opeth, but a few months back when they've announced Nick Holmes, from major British band Paradise Lost as the new BLOODBATH singer, it has caused a stir in the metal media to say the least, most probably for the simple fact that Holmes hasn't hardly done any death metal growls for over twenty years, so, some people couldn't help feeling skeptical about Holmes puling it off and others, on the other hand, over excited about it.
Grand Morbid Funeral is BLOODBATH's 4th full length album, and like the previous ones, it sounds pure Swedish death metal,  heavily influenced by bands like Entombed and Dismember, with a very few hints of Florida's death feeling added to it. The guitars sound is very dirty, the distortion feels like the beginning of the 90's hurricane of a noise, simplicity and groovy riffs are the main characteristics of this album, which delivers a clear message in sounding old school. I have to say the Skeptics will certainly be disappointed if they thought Nick Holmes would not deliver, not taking the merit away from previous singer, Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt, which was great,  but Nick's vocals sounds just like it was back in the begging of the 90s in Paradise Lost's "Lost Paradise" and "Gothic", adding up to the nostalgia, despite BLOODBATH's music sounding complete different than Paradise Lost even then.
It seems like Nick's growls and screeching vocals fits BLOODBATH's music perfectly. In fact it fitted so well that if I was shown this album without knowing what band it was, I would probably suggest it was recorded in the 90s, that is how nostalgic it feels to me. On the down side, as one might expect, creativity is not the biggest asset of a band like BLOODBATH, there is almost nothing here that you probably already heard in the past, but it is a known feature that comes with this particular style, but if old school is what you like, you a getting a full bloody platter of it with Grand Morbid Funeral.
The art cover could be described as zombie/renaissance, once you see it you will know what I meant. So get your copy as soon it is out and play it on repeat, it will take a long while before you even think to switch your stereo off.

Wertung: 8 / 10