Death metal supergroup Heads For The Dead dropped a stunner of an album in ‘Serpent’s Curse’ which sent shockwaves through the underground. The band’s masterful blending of classic death metal with horror-inspired elements set them apart from the standard revivalist bands. The combination of Jonny Pettersson (Wombbath, Gods Forsaken, Henry Kane) behind the music and Ralf Hauber (Revel In Flesh) on vocals proved to be extremely effective and both of them put in their experience of decades to create something marvellous. ‘Into the Red’ sees them take things to a different level and also recruiting the services of the legendary drummer Ed Warbie, known for his work in bands like Gorefest and Hail of Bullets, renders their sound flawless. They’ve honed it to make it more cohesive, the horror influence now being an intrinsic part of the music, and there’s undeniable growth in the songwriting that makes them step out of the shadow of the old school death metal peers to carve an identity of their own. The artwork has once again been created by Branca Studio retaining the classic horror aesthetic and as expected there are guest appearances such as from members of Sentient Horror and Gods Forsaken. ‘Into the Red’ raises the bar for old school death metal circa 2020 and it’s ironic how their horror theme fits eerily well into the real life horrors this era is witnessing. It’s time to embrace it all the same.