Over the past ten years or so, Denmark has really upped their game when it comes to metal music, catching up with their Scandinavian counterparts in terms of output and quality. From Volbeat to Myrkur, Baest to Sylvatica, the Danes have been on a roll when it comes to heavy music. Adding their name to the scene six years ago with their debut album "Hope Lies Dormant" would be Shadowspawn, from the capital city of Copenhagen. It would be a four-year wait for their next album, "The Biology Of Disbelief," and now, the quintet are ready to unleash their third full-length, "Blasphemica - Absolution Carved From Flesh."

Something that becomes apparent almost immediately, which is to say, after the intro track which prominently features a sample from British biologist Richard Dawkins, is that Shadowspawn are a death metal band, pure and simple. They don't pretend to be anything else, they just focus on slaying ears and, judging by the lyrical theme, God as well. As you might have guessed from that last sentence as well as the mention of a Richard Dawkins sample, the album is very much a tirade against organised religion, utilising more samples from the likes of Christopher Hitchens, while also penning lyrics voicing their opposition, such is the case for standout song, "Thrive In Sadness," which begins with a steady bass intro that allows the song to become faster as it goes on.

There are plenty of tropes here that death metal fans know and love, such as the familiar vocal cadences and pounding rhythms, as well as furious drumming and frantic guitar wails. There's also an eerie vibe on "Blasphemica," which also contains some of the more catchy passages heard on the album. Meanwhile, "Absolution In Flesh" has a great groove that keeps it striding along, and "Lacerations" features a vicious streak that helps it protrude from other songs on the record.

Unfortunately, "Blasphemica - Absolution Carved From Flesh" offers nothing new whatsoever. It's not a bad album by any stretch, but there isn't anything here that death metal fans haven't already heard a hundred times before. Most songs are pretty unremarkable and there isn't much to get excited about. It's fine. It's a death metal album and as already stated, it doesn't try to be anything more than that. The record never really passes the mark of "not bad," and, if anything, stays in that area from beginning to end.

If you're a death metal fanatic, simply looking for more of what you already love, you could do a lot worse than this release. "Blasphemica - Absolution Carved From Flesh" contains all the hallmarks one comes to expect from the genre. The problem is, if you're searching for something fresh, or you're not a death metal fan but aren't sure where to begin, it's not an album that would come highly recommended. It's like the death metal equivalent of a Jean-Claude van Damme movie: Not great, but there are much worse out there.