DELIRIUM TREMENS
Thrashing Warthogs
(Merciless Records)
41:09min

Holy shit! Did someone really say that good ol' Thrash Metal was dead? Listening to DELIRIUM TREMENS' newest offering I can only say that whoever spreads those type of comments is nothing but a stupid ignorant idiot! Even though this German five piece does not come across too serious in terms of their pictures, stage names (Rowdy Mütze Piper, Rowdy Rocket, Rowdy Bad Bone, Rowdy Roll and Rowdy Chambers), lyrics ("Worship Satan, Rock'n'Roll – Kill the humans, And fuck them all...") or slogans ("Other bands drink a beer between rehearsing their songs, we rehearse a song between drinking!"), they are musically first class without a doubt! I actually haven't heard such a raging Thrash Metal record in quite some time. The energy level of the whole disc is simply incredible and despite its true-to-the-bone Thrash sound, by no means to be labeled "retro"! Forget all the lame crap that got released in this genre lately, listen to this very hungry (thirsty?) bunch instead and you'll easily agree with me that this is purest T.H.R.A.S.H. at its best!! Imagine a totally pissed off Schmier on vocals, the intensity of a SLAYER live show and the aggression of KREATOR's "Pleasure To Kill" and you'll get an idea of what to expect here. "Thrashing Warthogs" is a furiously performed and very well written / arranged record that is furthermore blessed with a perfect, powerful production. Only the rather superfluous (yet entertaining) GUNS'N'ROSES cover of 'Paradise City' calms down my enthusiasm and adrenaline level quite a bit. So, all hail to Volker at Merciless Records who had the guts to release this. I hope it will finally fill the gap that DESASTER certainly left on his label. For more info, check out the band's website and www.delirium-tremens.de. Label contact: www.merciless-records.de

Frank Stöver

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DELIRIUM X TREMENS
Cyberhuman (MCD)
(self-financed)
21:46min

I just almost recently read some reviews for “Cyberhuman” in advance just to see what to expect from DELIRIUM X TREMENS musically when I agreed with them to review the band's mini-CD from the last year for VOICES FROM THE DARKSIDE webmagazine. I even got pretty excited when reading about the packaging for the disc; in fact, here's a straight quote from one review that said: “Also the whole package is excellent, it is professionally done. Even if it is a self financed release, we have a CD from a factory and professional booklet with eight pages.” Well, a copy which I received from DELIRIUM X TREMENS, was unfortunately a cheap-looking CD-R with a xerox–copy, black & white - cover, so in that sense I was mildly disappointed for not receiving the same copy like so many other reviewers did. Oh well, since the music is that thing we should all care for more than any 'decoration' that may (or may not) come along with the CD as sort of a 'bonus', I stop this childish whining right here. I mean, here... right HERE! As for these Italian Deathsters' style on this mini-CD is concerned, they pretty much remind me of sort of a combination of both the Swedish – and American Death Metal bands even if I can hardly pinpoint any names in comparisons to them. Musically DELIRIUM X TREMENS ranges from some slower tempos to a mid-tempo Death Metal which is darn heavy, brutal enough spiced many melodic elements, and what's most important in my opinion, even amazingly catchy all the way through. The band's growler Alberto is also capable of using his very deep death grunts kind of in an effective and convincing way, supporting the music on this 5-song release pretty damn nicely indeed. However, it's also gotta be said that DELIRIUM X TREMENS haven't invented anything that 'new' or 'groundbreaking' as far as Death Metal as its own specific genre is concerned, but has someone asked from them to set the Thames on fire in the first place? I suppose no one has, and at least I can honestly say to be satisfied enough, having my inverted dick being placed between the Bible pages, with their very solid package of a mid-paced Death Metal that they are able to offer on “Cyberhuman”, and I bet there's a bunch of other Death Metal maniacs out there (besides me) who appreciate and dig the band's present style. I surely did and there's a relatively good chance that even you may, too. Now, having said that, I'm already looking to hear a full-length album from them with a pair of curious ears as a matter of speaking... so please don't forget me guys, do you?  ;) Website: www.deliriumxtremens.com

Luxi Lahtinen

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DELVE
The Dead Amongst (MCD)
(Nuclear Winter Records)
11:57min

Although quite short - even for a MCD - Swedish oldschool Death Metal maniacs DELVE's release prior to the "Impious Sacrilege" album, which was put out under the new moniker VERMINOUS in 2003, is a excellent and hereby heartedly recommend piece of aggressive Death Metal comparable with legendary Swedish masters GROTESQUE or newer acts like KAAMOS or REPUGNANT. Only one of the four songs offered on this MCD reappeared on "Impious Sacrilege" - namely 'Evil Blood' - but to be honest I even prefer the version on this MCD, it sounds more raw and obscure. Something I really love about DELVE / VERMINOUS is that they deliver their vocals in this true oldschool style i.e. in raspy, never screechy screams - e.g bands like OBITUARY, ASPHYX, RESSURECTION, EXMORTIS did it that way and there are way too few bands who follow this tradition today. This piece of fucking Death is simply essential for everyone addicted to the traditional, brutal, dark and hellish aggressive spirit of Death Metal so many never bands fail to summon with their music. DELVE / VERMINOUS along with such mighty bands like SADISTIC INTENT, INCANTATION, FUNEBRARUM, DRAWN AND QUARTERED, MELEKTAUS, PENTACLE and some more know how to preserve the ancient essence of Death Metal and I wish there'd be more younger people getting into those sounds and not that crap some labels sell as the next big thing or dare to call "oldschool"... I'm starting preaching again, sorry guys, but get this CD and the VERMINOUS album, too, great stuff!!! Visit www.nuclearwinter.cjb.net for the MCD, www.xtreemmusic.com for the album and www.verminous.com for some MP3 of both releases.

Stefan Franke

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DEMENTOR
Enslave The Weak
(Osmose Productions)
37:56min

Hell yes, they are back! DEMENTOR, Slovakia's best kept secret in brutal Death Metal, finally seem to get their long deserved attention after years of existence. Following their great releases on Immortal Souls and Qabalah Productions, these guys luckily got picked up by an established and way more professional working company lately. The French based Osmose label once again proved their good taste and is releasing the band's fourth full length "Enslave The Weak" this October! If you're aware of DEMENTOR's previous material, you will already know that they have always dedicated themselves to the most ferocious, devastating and completely crushing form of brutal Death Metal, and luckily "Enslave The Weak" is exactly along that line once again. But it is even more than that: it keeps the intensity of their previous album "The Art Of Blasphemy", but comes up with a more varied writing style. Instead of going for total speed all the time, DEMENTOR enriched some of their songs with some slower parts in a typical MORBID ANGEL manner, which results in an even bigger listening pleasure. René Blahusiak's excellent vocals still do send shivers down my spine and in the meantime he has become one of my all-time Death Metal faves next to Ross Dolan and David Vincent (two vocalists, which he is actually pretty close to!). The production on "Enslave The Weak" also turned out a lot stronger than anything the band has come up with in the past and is easily able to compete on the international market. Only the sound of the drums could be improved here and there, but unlike on many other releases, they at least do sound honest and live. So, all in all this is certainly another essential purchase for everyone reading this.

Frank Stöver

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DEMENTOR
God Defamer
(Osmose Productions)
33:18min

Of course, DEMENTOR have invented nothing… but wait a minute, what a KILL this album really is! I already dug their previous effort (“Enslave The Weak”) a lot because it resurrected the MORBID ANGEL of old quite a bit, while their pre-Osmose days left me in a blank state. This time, the sound has evolved a little (due certainly to line up changes, with only founding member René still present today within the DEMENTOR ranks) and the style is more straight forward than before, think of brutal Death Metal the American way, but with a touch of finesse and a crispier sound quality. These Slovakian butchers know how to play the Death and at no moment the band can be caught playing dull or mediocre. In fact the intensity throughout the whole disc reaches insane proportions: be prepared to an orgy of demented riffs, manic drumming and really hallucinated vocals. The production, this time courtesy of knobs master Andy Classen, is faultless (far better than on “Enslave The Weak”), the songs are kept short and to the point, and the artwork created by the Polish art god(s) Graal is sick and superb as usual. I think DEMENTOR have reached their peak with this one, I just hope they will maintain themselves at this level in the future. I can’t say anything more about this offering. Quality is rare enough these days to be left ignored so buy the record and enjoy this gem without moderation. DEMENTOR are among the five best Death Metal bands in Europe. Did I make myself clear?

Edouard Vergriete

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DEMIGOD
Shadow Mechanics
(Spikefarm Records)
45:10min

If you’ve read our intensive interview with DEMIGOD you should already be aware of the fact that the band has musically gone through drastic changes ever since their brutal Death Metal classic “Slumber Of Sullen Eyes” from 1992. Unfortunately I gotta add… But before I go into detail a little more, you should know that I really forced myself to listen to “Shadow Mechanics” over and over again in order not to sound unfair or anything like that towards a band I always admired very much. But the more I listened to the eleven songs, the less I liked most of them… Even though the whole album delivers a very high quality in terms of the musicianship, songwriting and production, this is by no means an album that their old fan base expects from DEMIGOD. The overall musical approach is simply too melodic, too thrashy and modern sounding, yeah partly even mainstream focused. This is actually an album which perfectly fits in between all of the current releases (especially from Finland). You get a very big variety of influences, from very heavy material, like the great opener ‘My Blood Your Blood’ or ‘Gates Of Lamentation’ up to extremely melodic, yeah almost melancholic sounding type stuff (‘Crimson Tears’). Then again there’s tracks like ‘Trail Of Guilt’ that even remind me on late AMORPHIS during their “Elegy” period. Those countrymen are actually a good comparison anyway when it comes to the musical evolution as both bands started out as really brutal underground Death Metal and throughout the years became more and more melodic and catchy sounding. “Shadow Mechanics” comes up with three different vocal styles, of which the brutal deep voice is still the one which fits them best, while the clean melodic singing sounds rather pathetic to me and is way to overused these days anyway. So, my conclusion is, despite the obvious improvement as musicians and songwriters, the members of the band shouldn’t have released this collection of songs under the DEMIGOD moniker. The market they have changed towards won’t remember their old material anymore anyway. And the old fans who still worship “Slumber Of Sullen Eyes” most certainly won’t get a kick out of “Shadow Mechanics” either, so... Overall not really a bad album, but definitely a disappointing DEMIGOD release!

Frank Stöver

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DEMIGOD
Let Chaos Prevail 
(Xtreem Records)
40:31min

From out of the ice fields of frozen Finland, hail once more, the solitary reason most of us got into that small microcosm (Hypercube?) of a Death Metal scene, in that country, in the first place. And this as you might have surmised this was wholly for the reason of the maggot colony known as DEMIGOD. Many, many years have passed since their cult debut on Drowned Productions was issued, and then followed up with the tepidly received sophomore effort “Shadow Mechanics” on Spikefarm Records some six years ago. The musical endeavors that particular record had brought with it never seemed to cease to amaze, and while in the same breath utterly disgust, the loyal contingent of fans to this acts earlier prior works. Disgust tempered with laughter filled horror-listening sessions, the true sign of a band fallen into the mire of misguidance. As the musical alterations DEMIGOD had brought forth then to illustrate their “new” brand of Metal from such a apparition like existence in the scene, for an entire decade, with only a few demos to hold their name too and one EP in ’99 that was harder to obtain than say a dentist in 18th century England. That said DEMIGOD in fact acutely lost song after song prime battleground to convert what old fans still waited on bated breath for this Death Metal horde’s latest, as well as new fans who had only recently heard these old masters. The criminality of “Shadow Mechanics” was almost too much to bear witness. So you ask, what does this have to do with this album? Unfortunately more of the same, more of the same wasted disc space that DEMIGOD, had they wished to, could of easily made another brutal strike into that ancient, excoriated, chest cavity that they once culled from and fucking owned I might add! And made those of us who doubted they could draw life once again, with any amount of fervor, from those pillaged bones, left over from 1992’s frozen flesh funeral “Slumber Of Sullen Eyes” quiet in reserved silence. Silenced with a seriously needed audio masterpiece! Instead however those of you the unlucky buyers who piss on my words today and shall spend your $$$ for this album anyhow, for all ye who did not heed these warnings you shall be subjected to the following… A VADER-esque cover piece / layout (think anything from "Sothis" onward), followed up by ten tracks of uninspired SEPULTURA “Chaos A.D.” meets OBLIVEON “Cybervoid” material that just begs for the OFF button. DEMIGOD even decide to cross tread into today’s category of sure-fire failure, the standard brand of Nu Metal / Mallcore with the limply and contrived stomp-a-thon entitled ‘Cult Of Sickness‘ on then back on the OBLIVEON bandwagon on through to the end of the album. Unlike “Shadow Mechanics” where you had at least a couple semi notable songs as ‘My Blood Your Blood’ and ‘Gates Of Lamentation’, here within “Let Chaos Prevail” there are none. Not one song to be touted, only ten pieces that should have been housed under a different design (a different moniker at the least!) and released to the cretins who hang out in said shopping malls and of whom think they are Metal as fuck and hard as nails. Released since October of last year, it really is no wonder to me why I haven’t heard more about this album. An even if this band is now signed to a company again operated by the one and only Dave Rotten, who gave DEMIGOD their debut chance, this record only proves that DEMIGOD shall not cover the ground they once used to again any time soon, when their name used to cause ears to perk up at a mere mention. And lastly, before I go I would like to end this review stating that with so much acrid, un-necessary rectal recitals that punish the listener in upwards of forty minutes on this disc, it would have been nice had someone out there clued me in about this CD and how awful it is, like with a roll of toilet paper to accompany the promo with…I can indeed take a hint you know. Buy and Wipe! Contact: www.demigod.tv or www.myspace.com/demigodband or www.xtreemmusic.com

Wes Rhodes

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DEMIURG
Breath Of The Demiurg
(Mascot Records)
40:02min

DEMIGOD... DEMILICH... DEMIURG... I suppose the choice of monicker was no coincidence in the case of this Swedish project, lead by EDGE OF SANITY / PAGANIZER / RIBSPREADER vocalist Rogga Johansson, cause what we got on this debut full length should be a real feast for every worshipper of oldschool Death Metal, the Scandinavian way. Extremely brutal, downtuned and intense, played very straight forward and simple, with strong similarities to early 90s classics, such as "Into The Grave", "Slumber Of Sullen Eyes" and the likes and an obvious BOLT THROWER touch in the writing as well. What I could easily have lived without are the incorporated Black Metal elements (best reflected in the partly harsh vocal delivery). They are for sure executed very well, but when I'm listening to brutal Death Metal of this kind, I'm rarely in the mood for grim Black Metal at the same time. Luckily the Death Metal part dominates the record (musically it's mostly Death Metal anyway), so that it's not really a big deal. I'm actually not quite sure if my assumption, that this is just a project, is perfectly right. Fact is, that Rogga is mentioned as the only real DEMIURG member (he wrote all the songs and is responsible for guitars and vocals), while drums and bass were contributed by session members Dan Swanö (who also mixed and mastered the disc) and THIS HAVEN's Johan Berglund. The overall sound of the record is very close to what we all love and expect from a band like this, with the only exception that technology and knowledge of how to record something like this has moved on over the years. So, to sum it up: if you already enjoyed CHAOSBREED, RIBSPREADER or BLOODBATH, you gotta make sure to get your hands on this one as well for it is a lot more impressive in every sense! www.mascotrecords.com. You can order it here.

Frank Stöver

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DEMIURG
The Hate Chamber
(Mascot Records)
47:40min

It doesn't require a very insightful mind to predict what DEMIURG sound like. A simple glance at a cross-reference list of all of the bands with which the various members of Sweden's DEMIURG are involved makes it clear what to expect when listening to their second album, "Hate Chamber." Apparently the creation of RIBSPREADER vocalist and guitarist Rogga Johansson and featuring the guitar work of omnipresent guitarist / producer, Dan Swanö, DEMIURG accomplish precisely what one would expect, a solid work of brutal and relentless Swedish Death Metal. And, although somewhat predictable, this album is by no means uninteresting. The most engrossing moments on "Hate Chamber" are as poignant as one would expect from such luminaries of the Swedish scene as the members of DEMIURG. Melodic and devastating riffs played with deadly precision form the basis for DEMIURG's music. The album is not without its weaknesses, however. The second track, for example, incorporates a number of elements of Death Metal that detract from the overall effect of the music such as the use of stop / start, mosh-Metal style riffs and a ridiculous sample or two. The majority of the album, however, avoids these pitfalls. In fact, by the time the time one gets to 'The Terror Before Sleep' and 'Wolves At The Gates' the album has already improved substantially. 'Wolves At The Gates' begins with a slow melodic passage before settling into mid-paced, galloping Swedish Death Metal while the next track, 'The Apocalyptic', has a distinctly AT THE GATES feel to it. Perhaps the peak of the album is the monumental, 'The Convulse Meridian' where dense and darkly melodious passages abound and are infused with violence and the gravity of pure death. Also, like a few other parts on the album, this track successfully incorporates keyboards to enhance the effect. The most punishing track on "Hate Chamber" is the penultimate, 'Opus Morbidity (City of Ib Pt. III).' Among the fastest songs on the album, this track relies on excruciatingly brutal riffs with seamless transitions to elevate the intensity before the final track, the epic 'Cult Of Dagon' closes out the album. In the end, "Hate Chamber" doesn't break any new ground in the history of Swedish Death Metal and there are certainly other more accomplished bands currently treading these waters. Nonetheless, this album does contain some extraneous elements that are unusual in this context and make "Hate Chamber" an interesting listen. The use of keyboards and alternate vocal styles may be the most unexpected and well-executed examples of this. Unfortunately, the album suffers at times from some uninspired songwriting and perhaps would have been better had a few of the tracks been left off the album entirely. Overall, this is quite a decent album and one that will likely be highly respected by those whose desire for Swedish Death Metal can simply never be satiated. www.mascotrecords.com

Jason Campbell

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DEMOGORGON
Naenie
(Undercover Records)
39:49min

German band, debut album, playing grim Black Metal in the DARKTHONE / BURZUM style. I might end the review here, as most is said about this release. But this deserves to go further a bit, and you’ll find why. This is mostly mid tempo Black Metal, with screamy / whispered voices in a demo level production. One difference might be that this is well played, as they do not sound out of time, as many other similar bands tend to do. Lyrics are in German for the extra cult thing or something like that. Actually this release is their demo with a couple of bonus songs, hence the somewhat low production values, but still acceptable. At times they do sound a bit like a suicidal Black Metal band, but with less hypnotic riffs, although they do repeat a lot structures on their songs. And with a song titled 'Black Metal Against Black Metal' things do turn a bit confusing here. This is actually one fast song with an undeniable Punk influence, which for a change sounds different form the rest of the material. Which also reminds me that the band does sound better in a mid-tempo speed, rather than fast, where they do lose a lot of power and identity. I was getting a bit bored by this release until the last song gets in. Now this gets even more confusing. The demo level production is still there on 'A Nephilins Child' but I had to double check that is was the same band. Yeah, the vocals are the same…weird. Because this songs sounds more like a demo from DARK TRANQUILLITY (or their first EP if you want) than the average Black Metal of the other songs. I mean, I thought this was a cover song or something. It does have also some early DISSECTION touches (specially the intro accoustic part). The band says that this new songs is more the representation of what the bands is heading into the future. Yeah, it is more melodic, more controlled, but at the same time it is more interesting. This song alone makes me want to keep an eye on them. As this is, the CD maybe just works as an historical look upon the band. Their new style is way more promising, but it might also be their doom. Let’s wait what the future will tell...  www.undercover-records.de

Julian Nuñez

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DEMOLISHER
Enter The Suffering (MCD)
(Deformation Recordings)
14:58min

Yep, this is something refreshing here. DEMOLISHER from Helsinki proudly presents their newest and brand new output called “Enter The Suffering”. How should I describe this new outfit? Death Metal with Hardcore influences? Hm, probably I’m totally wrong here. For me it’s just fresh sounding Metal, with a lot of energy and just great songs. I hear Hardcore influences here and there (a certain MACHINE HEAD-vibe is quite obvious, though the band might kill me for writing that…), I hear a huge dose of oldschool Death Metal and hear a huge portion of Metal which is in my eyes the most important fact here. DEMOLISHER are a band which are not strictly limited to Death Metal fans or any other fans out there, DEMOLISHER are as they say “for a wide range of Metal consumers, no other fights about styles and other shit inside the family – just pure Metal and having fun with playing it”. Fuck yeah, that’s the right attitude! I can only say that I adore this release a lot and listened to it at least 20-25 times now and I don’t get rid of it. Referring to my opening sentence of this review, this is really something refreshing and is worth your attention and support. Go and check out their songs at www.myspace.com/demolisherband and get your own opinion about them and I’m sure you won’t disagree with me. The songs are available on their myspace-site as free download or ask them directly about the price of this awesome CD. This band has a bright future!!!

Thomas Ehrmann

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DEMOLISHER
Promo 2008
(Deformation Recordings)
10:40min

The 2nd demo of Finnish DEMOLISHER manifests them to one of the most promising Death Metal acts from Finland. This is my opinion, nothing more or less. The quality of DEMOLISHER is not to show how good they can handle their instruments, how fast they can play or whatever, but to write good songs with just the right dose of use of instruments. You don't get a wall of sound here, it's not BOLT THROWER or CANNIBAL CORPSE, if there's one band I'd like to compare them to then it is CARCASS between "Necroticism" and "Heartwork". You hear that those guys have a lot of musical experience and use to play in bands for several years. This 2-song demo is the follow up to their already quite good debut demo "Enter The Suffering" and is a huge development to this one. The song with the fantastic songtitle 'Crucifix Head Crush' makes the start and killz for the next 4 minutes in the whole Death Metal variety. The 2nd song 'Darkness Evolution' is a >6 minutes tune not less varied than the first one. All words are wasted here as long as you don't check out these songs to build your own opinion about them. They are available for free download at their homepage at www.demolisher.net. Go and figure out for yourself if they deserve your support. If you ask me this is the last time we will get the chance to hear their tunes for free. An official album release through a regular label will be the next choice.

Thomas Ehrmann

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DEMOLITION
Relict IV
(Twilight Zone Records)
36:24min

Is this the same DEMOLITION from Austria? I really cannot believe it! I have somewhere around another CD by them and although it was an enjoyable Deathrash release, at the end it was collecting dust in the shelf. It seems that this is their first recording where they use 2 guitar players and I suppose that has a lot to do with the new sound. Also I find the vocals to be quite more aggressive. They still have the same style, you can listen to it, but then again they have developed and found a way of composing catchy yet heavy Deathrash on the 11 songs that appear here, actually they went a bit more into the Death Metal realm this time, which is really a wise thing to do, as besides also avoiding them to be mistaken as another Thrash band, it has given a much needed boost to their sound. If I have to compare them, early MALEVOLENT CREATION, DMOLITION HAMMER and SADUS comes to mind, with really catchy lines. On the other hand, some might mistake this as melo-Death Metal and compare them to bands like THE BLACK DHALIA MURDER or DETONATION, and it could be easy to fall in that mistake. But to these ears, what these guys are doing (yeah, yeah, really unoriginal and all that) is quite good and deserves a chance. www.demolition.at

Julian Nuñez

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DEMON CHILD
Shadow Cult
(Sound Riot Records)
49:18min

I suppose we are now at the fifth or sixth wave of Black Metal bands. The genre has crystallized somehow the last few years, losing its avant-garde component, its rules being now firmly cast in stone (the same goes for other Metal subgenres I do nevertheless prefer, I have to add this to be honest). DEMON CHILD is another example of a good band playing good music but unable to come up with something out of the ordinary. Indeed these Finns deliver a form of music pioneered by EMPEROR ten years ago, that is Symphonic Black Metal. Grandiose atmospheres supplied by celestial keyboards are here mixed with furious guitars and voices. I don’t like the drum sound throughout this disc, because of its synthetic quality (yet a real drummer is playing), and it is much too emphasised in the mix. Note that you can divide "Shadow Cult" in two parts. Before the fourth tracks, a moody and dark instrumental piece played on keyboards, the songs are simply good. On the opposite, the best tracks are featured at the end of the album, giving us a hint of what DEMON CHILD could become with an extra concern for the songwriting duty. DEMON CHILD’s label seems to build a roster of competent Black Metal bands (see the SHADOW SEASON review elsewhere on this site) but I can’t help to feel lukewarm regarding the future of such a formula. Either you are a completist and in this case, DEMON CHILD could provide you a fine addition to your collection, or you are searching something special, then take this album cautiously. To me, DEMON CHILD are nothing really special, sorry.

Edouard Vergriete

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DEMONICAL
Servants Of The Unlight
(Cyclone Empire Records)
36:20min

No wonder! As I am listening to this band and wondering how in the fuck I never heard of these guys before now? DEMONICAL was birthed just this past year 2006 by former CENTINEX members - Johan Jansson, Martin Schulman and Ronnie Bergerstahl, along with the added help from ex - REMASCULATE vocalist Ludwig Engellau. Raw heavy as all Hell Swedish Death Metal is the command of these sturmtroopers! DEMONICAL are better than CENTINEX ever were! Featuring 8 original blistering tracks and one cover song (that while fun to play, I personally would have deleted this to have had another original song or two included) professionally recorded at Black Lounge (Black Lodge?) and Nercomorbus Studios. "Servants Of The Unlight" just kills! Easily one of the finest pieces of brand new old style Death Metal, tinged with blackened inspirations, to be unearthed from Sweden in quite some time. And yes while Glen Benton might be scratching his head wondering if he should contact his lawyers about the album's title for copyright infringement? Even he can not deny what a sick collection of songs are presented under this closely bloodied banner. The very first release of the German company called Cyclone Empire Records that I have had the privilege to check out. Keep it up! Contact: www.demonical.net or the label at: www.cyclone-empire.com. You can also order a copy at this location.

Wes Rhodes 

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DEMONICAL
Hellsworn
(Cyclone Empire)
35:23min

You don’t need to be a master of black magic to know that by the end of the year this album will be a hot candidate for the Death Metal release of the year. And sometimes Death Metal is so easy – you take three CENTINEX members with a hell of experience (good and bad ones if you keep in mind that they released 8 good albums and never achieved the big breakthrough) add a new singer (this time the well known DIABOLICAL shouter Sverker Widgren) and you are ready to unleash the ultimate Death Metal inferno. It took over 2 years until the band was finally ready to record “Hellsworn” and there is not a single song which has not deserved his place on this record. Just imagine a band which is taking the drive of (Swedish) bands like THE CROWN and aggression from (Swedish) bands like DISMEMBER plus the ultimate feeling for the perfect song. To pick up a special song would be blasphemy but DEMONICAL created with 'Götter Des Nordens' (with full German lyrics) a song which will definitely blow away every live audience on their coming European tour (with TORTURE KILLER and FACEBREAKER). There are albums which need some time to fully flourish and there are releases (like this one) which kills from minute number one – “Hellsworn” is a great album which needs no further words – just buy this album – bow your head and be ready for the gods of the north. www.cyclone-empire.com, www.myspace.com/thedemonicalhorde, www.demonical.net

Matthias Auch

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DEMONIC RAGE
Demo II
(self-financed)
6:39min

Like the title suggests, this is the second demo from DEMONIC RAGE, located in Chile. It features two songs in the vein of brutal Death Metal. While listening to this demo, I immediately was reminded of the first IMMOLATION album and their previous releases under the name RIGOR MORTIS. The same brutal and dark approach, concerning riffing and vocals. Regarding that this here is a demo and that the band is from Chile (where the maniacs do not have the same infrastructure, e.g. studios, producer and labels like we have in Europe or the USA) the sound is absolute adequate. I guess no one is expecting a high-end production on a self-financed two-track demo-tape from Chile. Since there are just two songs on this output it is somewhat difficult to judge about the band. But for me personally the music is good enough to keep the name DEMONIC RAGE in mind and hoping for a full-length release in the near future. Band contact: DEMONIC RAGE, c/o Viktor Low, Federico 2 Oelkers # 533, Pto. Montt, Chile, South America

Mirco Szymyslik

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DEMONIZED
Demonized
(Osmose Productions)
31:09min

This is exactly the kind of record that leaves me in a state of perplexity, because of its absence of originality. To review such an album consequently becomes a very difficult task, because it is good  in a sense, but not enough to be warmly recommended. DEMONIZED seems to be a side project involving people from DISGORGE and RAVAGER (if I remember well), and from what I understood this album is destined to remain a one shot. The DEMONIZED music could remind you the one of IMPIETY or of a second rate ANGEL CORPSE, you know, barbaric and blasphemous Black / Death Metal the way we are all used now. Like it is the case with too much albums these days, you will forget this one immediately after having heard it, simply because the band forgot to structure their songs with memorable moments of aural bravery. You will be confronted to a wall of sound, a discharge of pure energy and then… nothing, you don’t see the real purpose of all  this. Even the artwork confirms this impression: an unreadable logotype, a goat inside a pentagram, all of this is boring now and doesn’t add anything to the Death Metal cause. I don’t want to slag down the DEMONIZED dudes because they are obviously sincere in their approach, but I can recommend this album only to the die hard collectors. A too derivative effort.

Edouard Vergriete

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DEMONIZER
Thrashing Force Attack
(self-financed)
40:12min

When you hold this band's booklet in your hands and look at the design, when you listen to their music you can sense with every decomposed fibre of your feeble body that these lunis are absolute Metal monsters. Leather and spikes everywhere, posing like mad, bolts, the devil's sign, etc., etc. I like this kind of attitude - especially when I know that the guys standing behind it are cool and relaxed freaks, which I know is the case here. Concerning the music --- well, the title kind of suggests the rough direction already, doesn't it?! This is purest Thrash / Death. DEMONIZER sound extremely violent, original, raw, uncompromising and honest. You can feel that they give a shit about trendy music that sells well, the live this kind of Metal philosophy. The production of this album is very raw, nevertheless you can distinguish every instrument - and this trait just fits I must say. The vocals are hoarse and aggressive screaming out hatred and Metal madness. Every now and then the vocalist uses really high-pitched Heavy Metal screams that make me rejoice and thank the horned one that there is such a nice thing like Metal! The guitars are relatively straight, no superfluous solos, no annoying ornaments and stuff. Such things have their place and legitimacy in other kinds of Metal, haha. The bass does a good supportive job. I think this guy must rock on stage like nobody's business. The drummer (Henne - ex vocalist of IMPEDIGON!!!) is doing a great job as well. Playing this nasty Thrash rhythm as if he was dragged out of his mother's womb with drum-sticks in his hands and blasting off like nuts. Honestly - a very honest and convincing album I like listening to. My faves: 'Human Disease', 'Lysva's Beast' and, of course, the divine 'Demonized'! Buy or die!!! Contact: Demonizer666@hotmail.com / www.demonizer.be

F. Cthulhu E.

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DEMONIZER
Triumphator
(Folter Records)
44:46min

Let the battle begin – "Triumphator" is the third release from the Belgium horde DEMONIZER and they have recorded an album with the absolute amount of aggression; so without a mocking undertone the perfect release for our friends from Folter Records. There is no point of rest, nor acoustic guitars or any ‘plastic’ effect just pure Metal blood in form of good performed Black / Thrash Metal. I’m not the biggest fan of this style due to the fact that after a short while nearly every release is struggling with the problem of similarity and DEMONIZER can also not completely avoid this weak spot but the overall impression - after the 9 songs of "Triumphator" – is that of an album which will crush all enemies and the only remains will be barren soil. Think that everybody should by now have an impression of "Triumphator" – so don’t blame me if the Belgium thunderstorm will force you to turn down the volumes – you had been warned. www.folter666.de

Matthias Auch

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DEMON REALM
A Legend Of Power
(Blazing Productions)
45:45min

Danish DEMON REALM spread their hateful Black Metal since 1997, released various demos, EP's, appeared on several comps and finally unleash their full-length debut on CD. Black Metal "extremists" should instantly enjoy this violent, hysterical and possessed effort that suffers only from one serious draw back - a rather monotonous screeching vocalist. Sharund certainly has gallons of bile in his lungs and spats them aggressively at everything in his sight, but despite his audible authenticity and honest performance, after three songs he started getting on my nerves. Might be just another case of "matter of taste", but find out for yourself... Musically DEMON REALM present solid work: endless chord-shredding orgies, some moody slower parts and hard-hitting fast drumming all held together by this unpolished rawness that usually makes me compare this genre to Punk or Crust since it has the same "Fuck off, you bastards!"-attitude. Hope no one considers that to be insulting, it's certainly not meant that way... Well, if you like utter extreme Black Metal and tolerate a decent level of monotony DEMON REALM might appeal to you. MP3's and additional infos can be found at www.blazing.ws and www.demonrealm.dk! 

Stefan Franke

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DEMONS OF DIRT
Killer Engine
(Hammerheart Records)
35:50min

Usually I don't like it too groovy but DEMONS... you can hardly resist! "Killer Engine" is between some Swedish sort of Thrash and real good American groove. The singer sometimes reminds me a little of a highly aggressive Phil Anselmo (PANTERA) going absolutely mad! The groovy bit sometimes even scratches the borders to Stoner Rock, always with these extreme vocals and very soon switching back to Thrash again. I've been thinking for ages why I like this CD because usually this style is not my cup of tea at all. And I don't find a satisfying conclusion. Maybe it's because DEMONS OF DIRT got balls ­ they are dirty indeed, no polished Kindergarten Metal on here. Anyway, "Killer Engine" won't end up in my playlist but it's good fun and if it's you favourite style ­ go for it!!!

Ramon Claassen

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DENATA
Deathtrain
(Arctic Music Group)
28:01min

I have a lot of respect for Phil Fasciana as a musician and really admire his dedication when it's comes to MALEVOLENT CREATION (and HATEPLOW), but I dare to say that in his other occupation as an A&R guy for Artic Music he really sucks! Except for HOMO IRATUS all the other bands he signed so far were always kinda superfluous and not even of interest for our magazine... Well, DENATA from Sweden are of interest again, as they're playing a type of retro Death / Thrash Metal, but that doesn't necessairly mean that the band really delivers quality. A stupid album cover, an even more uninspired looking (computer fonts) logo and extremely boring compositions of third rate KREATOR is not exactly the type of stuff that we easily spend our money on these days. And I seriously doubt that you're freaking out on the fact that WITCHERY's Toxine and SEANCE's Johan have contributed some guest vocals on '1349' and 'Slaughter Machine'... DENATA might be entertaining after a couple of beers on a stage in your local youth centre, but they are far away from being ready for a CD release in the worldwide underground. It's actually getting even more scary if you find out that "Deathtrain" is already their third output (following their self titled EP and debut full length "Departed To Hell", on Ghoul Records)...   

Frank Stöver

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DENIAL
Immense Carnage Vortex (7” EP)
(Blood Harvest Records)

I always had a huge impression of the Mexican Death Metal. Bands like SHUB NIGGURATH, CENOTAPH, THE CHASM as well as newer bands such as NECCROCULTUS were not only copycats of big names in the Death Metal scene, they were really something special and talking especially about SHUB NIGGURATH and CENOTAPH I listen pretty regular to some of their releases. DENIAL fit totally in this list, not only because their drummer Oscar Clorio was the ex-drummer of CENOTAPH as well as a member of the latest SHUB NIGGURATH line-up, but because they easily convince musically. Blood Harvest Records had once again the right intuition to sign this band. It’s musically fantastic played Death Metal, as simple as it is. DENIAL don’t even try to show off what their technical abilities are, they try to show their qualities with 2 amazing songs of Death Metal inspired by bands from the early nineties. This is oldschool Death Metal as it should be. Among all great Blood Harvest releases, and they have and had many of them already, this is from my point of view one of the strongest ones of this young label. I really don’t want to compare DENIAL to any other band right now, as they neither sound like an American Death Metal band nor as an Scandinavian one, it’s the music that should do the talking and that’s why I only can advice you to check out this great Death Metal seven inch. Needless to say that the layout is done in the typical way the seven inches back in the early nineties had to look like, haha. Before I stop I have to add that they already signed a contract with Dave Rotten’s Xtreem Music for their first longplayer. Well done, guys! Limited to 500 pieces! Check out www.bloodharvest.se or www.denial-army.com.

Thomas Ehrmann

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DENIAL
Catacombs Of The Grotesque
(Asphyxiate Recordings)
43:15min

After the successful 7" on Blood Harvest (well in underground terms at least) DENIAL returns with a very powerful full length CD of total fuckin Swedish worship no two ways about it, and that's great! The guitar sound reminds me a bit of CARNAGE's on the "Dark Recollections" album, but not exactly cause nobody can touch that guitar! But these guys do a kick ass job with this whole album, not only on the guitar sound but also on the quite well-crafted songs; it seems as they put a good effort into thinking about song structures, pacing and all that good stuff that makes for a future classic album.Yeah, I think it is that good! My only kinda complaint is the intro: more than 10-30 seconds and you are pissing me off! Another 2-3 minutes song woulda been better than an intro; altough I must say that it is very spooky and reminiscent of old Mexican horror movies starring the Mexican wrestler El Santo (trust me if you were a kid in the 70s, they were scary). So to summarize: if you like great old Swedish Death Metal with just a touch of oldschool Mexican Death Metal, this is for you! I believe it is one of the must have / must listen to albums of 2009! Fuckin Death fuckin Metal!! www.myspace.com/denialmex, www.denial-vortex.com, www.asphyxiaterecordings.com

Luis M.L. Sallard

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DENIAL FIEND
They Rise
(Ibex Moon Records)
43:25min (+ approx. 20min DVD)

Kam "The Tyrant" Lee, THE godfather of Death Metal, has finally returned to the scene with his first musical sign of life since MASSACRE's 1996's infamous "Promise" album and the DESTRUCTION cover that he recorded with KAULDRON a couple of years later for the Dwell Records compilation "Armageddon: The Tribute To Destruction". His new musical home is entitled DENIAL FIEND, already toured Europe with MASSACRE recently and next to Kam also features Terry Butler (ex-DEATH / ex-MASSACRE, SIX FEET UNDER) on bass, Curtis Beeson (NASTY SAVAGE / LOWBROW) on drums and Sam Williams (Down by Law) on guitar. Kam's die hard fans most certainly already noticed about the existence of DENIAL FIEND way back in 2006, as the band had made three songs of their April 23 rehearsal officially available for download through their website. A real demo quickly followed in December the same year (later to be re-released as an EP) and now their debut full length "They Rise" has finally been issued via Ibex Moon Records. Except for 'The Thing With 100 Eyes' (from the rehearsal) all of the other songs also appear on the album now and impressively showcase a band that is totally oldschool in their musical attempts, yet sounds surprisingly fresh! Due to Kam's unmistakeable, unique vocal style and the overall simplicity of the material, comparisons to old MASSACRE obviously come to mind very easily. And the good thing is: DENIAL FIEND can indeed compete with that overmighty shadow from the past! Except for the quite unusual backing shouts (in 'Flesheater', 'Son Of The Creature From The Black Lagoon', 'Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things' and the album's title track), which are a bit irritating, the whole record perfectly captures the essence of the early days of Death Metal, when Thrash Metal was still a big part of that genre. My personal highlight is (of corpse) the old MANTAS classic 'Legion Of Doom' (entitled 'L.O.D.' on this record), which previously had already been covered by PERDITION (on the "Unforgotten Past – In Memory Of Chuck Schuldiner" DEATH tribute) and PENTACLE (on their "Ancient Death" CD). But this version blows them all away, I'm afraid! I still hope that Kam will re-record all those old MANTAS / DEATH demo classics in a proper studio someday… that would be a dream come true for sure! From the original DENIAL FIEND material 'Cover Me In Blood' personally impressed me the most, probably because the band has it in their set for so long now that it could be improved constantly until it finally ended up on the album. Lyrically the entire material deals with classic Horror / Zombie movie topics, which is also reflected in the comic book type graveyard scene on the album's cover. The CD comes in a deluxe looking digipack and also includes a free DVD that shows us the band (and friends) in their homebase Florida, talking about the whole Death Metal / Tampa phenomenon and performing 'Cover Me In Blood' in their rehearsal space (well, just visually, the music seems to come from the album). So, all in all this is THE album that MASSACRE unfortunately never came up with after "From Beyond" thus highly recommended to fans that dislike modern technology in Death / Thrash Metal, such as pro-tools, triggered drums, digital recordings and all that bullshit. Great one! www.ibexmoonrecords.com

Frank Stöver

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DENIAL FIEND
Dead Awakening (7"EP)
(Ibex Moon Records)
7:41min

In case you have been sleeping the last couple of months, let me tell you that DENIAL FIEND is the new home of former MANTAS / MASSACRE vocalist Kam Lee, NASTY SAVAGE drummer Curtis Beeson, ex-DEATH / MASSACRE, SIX FEET UNDER bass player Terry Butler and DOWN BY LAW guitarist Sam Williams, who joined forces to play some very cool oldschool Death thrashin' Metal with a handful of Punk overtones to it. When we interviewed Kam recently, he used to come up with the description Horror Metal ("Metal with influences from both Death Metal and Horror Punk"), which also sums it up pretty good to me. Prior to the release of "They Rise", the band's incredible Ibex Moon Records debut full length, DENIAL FIEND had already recorded a 3 song demo back in December of 2006. That particular demo featured original versions of the album tracks 'They Rise', 'Cover Me In Blood' and 'Son Of The Creature From The Black Lagoon'... The first two were available for free download from the band's website for some time and also appear on this 7" vinyl EP now. To me personally 'They Rise' and 'Cover Me In Blood' are without a doubt among the best tracks that the band has written so far, so this EP is definitely a good opportunity to ckeck out what DENIAL FIEND musically is all about (in case you still haven't bought the album yet). Due to the fact that it is limited to 500 copies only, it's also a cool collectors item for all those of you who worship the full length. Cool comicbook style artwork and lyrics to both of the songs complete this release. If you can't find it in your usual mailorder lists, make sure to contact Ibex Moon Records directly and ask them for ordering details. www.ibexmoonrecords.com

Frank Stöver

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DENIAL OF GOD
The Horrors Of Satan
(Painkiller Records)
56:07min

The Horror! Yes… the horror… because this is what DENIAL OF GOD are about… This Danish lot has been a part of the underground for solid 15 years to finally release its debut full length album which clocks around at one hour. The nine compositions are very varied: from the classic organ intro at the beginning, over the fast 'The Curse Of The Witch' with its hints of classic MAYHEM (which had their influence on Ustunallagan and his fiends anyways I would say), the accoustic mid-tro 'The Witch – Now A Restless Spirit' (reminding me very much of the intro on the first UNLEASHED record by the way) to 'Cycle Of The Wolf' with its prominent Heavy Metal influences and the epic title track which closes the album. Both soundwise and imagewise DENIAL OF GOD have always put strong emphasis on the element of dramatic “horror” or “shock” as it is present with acts like DEATH SS and MERCYFUL FATE / KING DIAMOND or MORTUARY DRAPE (to name a band that is somewhat stylistically similar). By that, I do not mean that DENIAL OF GOD do sound like these acts but the plentiful harmonious Heavy Metal overtones and the use of make-up and theatrics reveal where their roots lie. As already mentioned, the tracks on “The Horrors Of Satan” vary greatly in composition, speed and length. I am a bit at a loss of words to describe this album… if you already know DENIAL OF GOD from one of their demos or the numerous EPs you basically know what to expect. In case you have never heard of this act imagine a band combining the darkness and fast aggression of old MAYHEM with a very strong Heavy Metal influence and the horror visuals af bands like DEATH SS or MISFITS. There is not much to say about the production other than that it is pleasantly natural und “un-artificial” as it should be for this music. Anyway, where my words may fail to bring across how “The Horrors Of Satan” sounds, DENIAL OF GOD themselves may not: www.myspace.com/denialofgod. More info and merchandise can be found here: www.denialofgod.net. On sale here.

Ulrich Kreienbrink

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DENIED
When The Slate Becomes Diamonds
(Apollon Records)
46:56min

If DENIED were only a microsecond slower, they would be an 80s Hard Rock band. Be that as it may, they qualify as a Metal band. Many bands like them do, but for whatever reason, fail to embrace the word "Metal" as a working term for their music. DENIED, like JUDAS PRIEST before them, are proud to fly the steel banner. Although their album does not sound impressive upon first listen, it's dogged attention to detail tends to grow on you. The vocals sound over the instruments, and the instruments themselves have a thin, digital crunchiness. Nevertheless, their songwriting is a world-class imitation of all the early Metal music we love; IRON MAIDEN, HELLOWEEN, JUDAS PRIEST, ANVIL, etc. Twenty-five years ago, this band may very well have been written off as a cheap clone, but because the scene is what it is today, they are to be congratulated for a job well done. In today's scene, a band doesn't necessarily have to prove itself by playing well, but by displaying their attachment to the old days. Good stuff. www.myspace.com/denieditaly, www.apollonrecords.nl

Nat Shapiro

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DENOUNCEMENT PYRE
Hells Infantry (MCD)
(Forgotten Wisdom Prod.)
25:30min

This Australian band impressed me with their mighty logo alone from the date I saw it first. What a great and impressive logo, hard to read, though, but who cares. You need to have a look at it if you don’t know it yet. Anyhow, it’s not the logo that counts but the music enclosed on this MCD called “Hells Infantry”. 5 songs including a short intro of Black Thrash Metal in the Australian way. Some would call it War Metal, others Black Metal and the last group would probably call it Thrash Metal. It fuckin’ doesn’t matter, even as the band itself labels DENOUNCEMENT PYRE as Hell Metal on their myspace page I stick to the words Black Thrash Metal in the Australian way. I hear links to bands such as BESTIAL WARLUST, GOSPEL OF THE HORNS, DESTROYER 666 (their drummer on this recording is an ex-member of them by the way; he left beginning of this year) but also to the mighty Germans of DESASTER, this way you should get a quite good picture of their sound. It’s raw, it’s fast, and nevertheless it includes a lot of structures, pounding basslines, shredding guitars and fast but not blasting drums. It’s the typical old Metal feeling and the oldschool spirit all over the place which you get each minute of this record. Check out www.myspace.com/denouncementpyre or order this MCD for the price of $11 / 9 € directly at decaylust@hotmail.com.

Thomas Ehrmann

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DENOUNCEMENT PYRE
Under The Aegis Of Damnation (7" EP)
(Apocalyptor Records)

It’s Heathen Hell Thrash what DENOUNCEMENT PYRE labels their musicstyle on this record. Hm, I’m getting confused, haha. This is an already 2 year old recording but as it is still available I suggest ordering this lovely piece of vinyl immediately. I’m one of these persons who still love this ceremonial to turn the piece of music after almost each song on your turntable. For sure it tends to getting annoying from time to time, but as a dedicated Metal fan you have to live with it. OK, let’s talk about the music, it’s Black Thrash Metal in the Australian way once again, the band calls it Hell Metal, or Heathen Hell Thrash so hopefully you get the point. 3 songs of raw and chaotic brutality where I can especially highlight the title track. This 7” EP is in my humble opinion as good as the MCD “Hells Infantry” and because of that, I suggest all lovers of bands as GOSPEL OF THE HORNS or DESASTER to get in touch with their vocalist and guitarist Decaylust (decaylust@hotmail.com) to order this piece of black plastic for the price of $7 / 6 € (Paypal should be possible). Next on their plans is a split LP called “Chaos Rising” together with DIOCLETIAN, another 7” EP called “Circle Of The Black Flame” and their first full-length album called “World Cremation”. Keep your eyes and ears open for this unholy Australian horde. They definitely deserve your support!

Thomas Ehrmann

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DEPRAVED
Decadence & Lust
(Warpath Records)
29:16min

Bands like the French five-piece DEPRAVED are mainly the reason why I don't get into Grindcore. Despite all the intensity these lads are quite impressively deliver, there's just too little substance to be found in their writing. And their twelve track assault gets boring way too quickly for the simple reason that everything sounds too much alike (especially in the vocal department). The rather stupid packaging (s/m perversion to the most brutal extend, and artistically done on a very poor level) not necessarily helps to change my negative opinion (it's actually more the other way around), so I was kinda glad that this torture already stopped after only half an hour. Label contact: warpath@wanadoo.fr

Frank Stöver

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DEPRESSION / HAEMORRHAGE
Split CD
(Cudgel Agency)
48:39min 

Catching the air bridge Madrid / Dortmund via airline Cudgel we find two pathologically demented monsters called Depression and Haemorrhage, that invited us on a trip with an old school Death and Grind like final destination. The first part is commanded by the trio Depression, a veteran band from ‘89, that already released several EP’s, demos and more. This is Death Metal in the old vein, with a lot of grind influences as well (Impetigo is shining through quite often). A good combination of both styles, with lots of blasts beats. Everything is very rhythmic and with a thundering voice. They somewhat remind me on their countrymen Blood, and like I already mentioned Impetigo. Among the 11 songs we also find a version of the AGATHOCLES track ‘Enough’. The turbulences during the second part of the trip are caused by Madrid’s pathological gore grinders Haemorrhage, that celebrate their 10th anniversary with a live recording. Among their own rotten and demented material the tracklist also includes cover versions by Impetigo and Carcass. So, needless to say that we enjoyed the short trip. HOW MUCH GORE CAN YOU TAKE?? 

Iñaki (Pinhead)

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DEPRESSION / PAGANIZER
Unglaube / Split Wide Open (Split CD)
(Suffer Productions)
49:20min

It took some time, but this split between Germany's Death / Grind underground masters DEPRESSION and the Swedish bosses of Death Metal with Crust influences, PAGANIZER is finally out. On one side we have ten new songs from the Germans plus an intro and outro, and from the Swedes a compilation of ten tracks of different origins. But let's start with DEPRESSION, who have more than one surprise for us with this recording. To start with, and being one of the strongest points, I would mention the production, which this time was done by Skaldir (best known for his project HEL and an ex-member, together with DEPRESSION's vocalist Ron, in APHELION). It is simply perfect for their music, leaving a little of rawness and giving more power to it, especially on the vocal side. There is no doubt that it's the best production they had in their entire career. You can hear it in the guitar sound too, especially in 'Modertau', maybe the most modern track they ever recorded. But don't worry, they still keep playing that oldschoolish Death Metal crossed with some primal Grind and even some strong Punk remnants that surface again in 'Wipe You Off Life's Page' and 'On The Edge'. We can still say that this is their most Death Metal oriented recording, together with the tracks they recorded for their upcoming split EP with INHUMATE. The simplicity of the songs make them totally groovy, from the fastest ones to those heavy riffs that they are best known for and which would make anybody break its neck. Oh, and we shouldn't forget that they included a cover version of 'Artefacted Irreligion' from the gods BENEDICTION here as well. A quite complete work for everybody who has fun with this great act, which is almost cult in the European underground Grind scene. Going to the side of PAGANIZER, the trio assembles some tracks here, nine in fact, which come from different recordings, like their split with ERODED and others which I couldn't find out, although some sound like demos or similar. They start with 'This Place Is Rot', which is total BENEDICTION (what a coincidence) and NECROPHAGIA worshipping, yet keeping their oldschool Swedish Death and Crust smell on most of the tracks. They contribute the following tracks to this split release: 'This Place Is Rot', 'Abortion Van', 'Gasmask Obsession', 'Hell Is Already Here', 'Grinded And Exiled', 'Flashnaut v1.0', 'N.Y.Ripper', 'Untitled 1', 'Untitled 2' and 'Untitled 3'. I should say I didn't like one thing too much, as a consequence of being a compilation, and that is the difference in the production between the songs. It makes it a bit hard to listen to the CD. As usual on Suffer Productions, two underground Death Metal albums for the price of one, even if this time we have two wellknown bands here. And I should also mention the artwork, which is way better compared to the ones of their previous releases (well, Sore's one was quite good too) and I also shouldn't forget that the CD includes two videoclips, one is DEPRESSION's 'Leichenduft' (from their split with MESRINE) and the other from PAGANIZER's 'Gasmask Obssession', which was on the ERODED split and on this CD too. www.suffer-prod.de.vu

Jeroni Sancho

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DERANGED
Deranged
(Listenable Records)
35:36min

Wow! What a blast! DERANGED from Sweden strike again! "Happy Metal free and no triggered drums!" says the record company's info sheet and it's true. This is not the usual Gothenburg Death Metal. Instead, DERANGED come up with a CD almost completely free from any kind of melodies - just pure brutality straight in your face! I like the weird solos in particular, because sometimes almighty SLAYER shines through. Also Johan Andenberg's departure doesn't hurt too much because both the new vocalist as well as the new bass player did a good job in the studio. There is only one thing about the production that really makes me nervous: generally, the sound is quite powerful - but the snare drum is too loud! Especially when you play "Deranged" on a poor stereo it sometimes sounds like a very long, very fast and, consequently, very monotonous drum solo! Anyway, the record company's serving suggestion says: "Just sit down, put it up to the loudest volume as possible and just eat your own brain." I guess you'll have problems with sitting still if you choose "Deranged" for dinner music and you're gonna spill that yummy meal all over the table for sure! Sorry for this picture but I guess I'm already deranged... http://members.tripod.de/deranged http://start.at/your.death

Ramon Claassen

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DERANGED
Plainfield Cemetery
(Listenable Records)
37:39min

DERANGED’s biggest problem always was that their albums tend to get boring or monotone after three or four songs, because most of them sounded quite similar and did not vary significantly in terms of tempo or rhythm, but kept blasting relentlessly until you either could not bang any longer or slept. With “Plainfield Cemetery” DERANGED have been able to solute this problem by making the whole thing more diversified. There are more tempo and rhythm changes (more stops, breaks and even doublebass parts), some nice solos and even slight hints of groove, that do not weaken the merciless aggression and pounding brutality DERANGED embody since their Debut, but make it more effective. The Swedish brutal Deathers’ 5th full-length effort is their most elaborate and best so far! It fucking kills!!! It is the first DERANGED album, where I can make out some real stand-out tracks, like ‘God Is Dead’ (containg a cool SLAYER-like riff) or ‘Roadside Rendevous’, which proves best that even the vocals got more intense. So if you are into brutal Death be sure to check out this inhuman onslaught, I think the DERANGED maniacs will bow without any doubt before this sonic massacre!!!

Stefan Franke

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DERANGED
Obscenities In B-Flat
(Listenable Records)
33:04min

Oh, I can make that short: nothing has changed on the sixth full-length, only the singer / bass-player Calle Faldt is new (which is no surpsise in the history of DERANGED). Brutal straight forward blasting Death Metal, some horror movie samples, bloody artwork, period. That simple? Yes, could be. DERANGED can easiliy be recognized among other Death Metal bands. They just play the riffs you have to play and blast the hell out of it, no fooling around with pseudo-technical stuff and melodies! The new singer sounds like Chris Barnes on "The Bleeding" or the newer SIX FEET UNDER shit... uh stuff. Very cool! My favorite records from DERANGED still are "High On Blood" for it had the best songwriting and the self-titled "Deranged" for it was and is one of the most brutal efforts in this genre. On "Obscenities..." they follow the path of the predecessor "Plainfield Cemetary" and put more variety in the songwriting. It is still mainly fast but has more mosh and crazy parts in it. After a while the songs tend to get boring but still it is a tough release you should not miss if you are into brutal Death Metal. And don't get too fond of the new singer – I have read that he is out again – anyway, singer number five has already been recruted and is called Martin Schonherr. Man, something must be wrong with Rikard Wermen and Johan Axelsson, the drummer and the guitar-player... maybe the ARE deranged. Who knows. www.iamderanged.com, www.listenable.net. You can also order it here.

Tim Klöcker

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DERANGED
The Redlight Murder Case
(Regain Records)
35:26min

In former times the dark Swedish mountains have been crowded by dangerous animals famous throughout the whole world for their bloodlust, hunger for human flesh and most important for their potential musical class. These animals lived in packs like wolves; shared their musical views and furthermore our passion for beer during their several tours throughout Europe. But times go by and even the most dangerous animals gets old and weak and so some them left their mountains of doom to live a civilised life somewhere in beautiful Sweden or even Germany. But Satan be blessed not all bands left the Death Metal path of total destruction, devastation and mayhem so here there are - one of my most beloved relics of former times DERANGED. After releases like “Plainfield Cemetery” which has gone a more technical approach, DERANGED returned to their dark Swedish mountain to return to “La Orgia de Los Muertos” (from their famous “Deranged“ album). Due to the last DERANGED releases I would never expect such a fantastic killer album. The sound is great - the music is pure aggression combined with a groove that  I’m searching for years but only rarely discovered since Six Feet Under’s famous “Haunted” album. “The Redlight Murder Case” is offering a great if not the best Death Metal release of 2007 and if you listen to songs like 'The Killer Wore Black Gloves' or 'Gently Before She Dies' and your head is not starting to bang automatically only strong medicine can help you! With Regain Records as new business partner and this murder release DERANGED will kick ass worldwide, the hour of DERANGED has finally arrived, so don’t blame me - you have been warned! www.regainrecords.com

Matthias Auch

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DESASTER
Tyrants Of The Netherworld
(Iron Pegasus Records)
42:32min

I was quite surprised to see that DESASTER left Merciless Records and that Costa (editor of mighty Tales Of The Macabre zine) released their new album on his own label Iron Pegasus Records. After an intro the opener 'Nekropolis Karthago' starts like one of these typical fast Black Metal tracks and I wasn't very pleased. But after a short while DESASTER shows us that you can't call them Black Metal anymore, they found their very own style on this third full-length. In my humble opinion "Tyrants Of The Netherworld" is the strongest DESASTER effort so far. There are only a few Black Metal hints left these days, in the opening track and the titletrack. "Tyrants Of The Netherworld" is nothing but a fucking cool Thrash album. I always prefered the DESASTER Thrash Metal songs and was never into their more Black Metal stuff. They had their strongest moments when they played in a more 'thrashier' way. I really appreciate that development. "Tyrants Of The Netherworld" reminds me in a very positive way of the old German Speed and Thrash Metal heroes which ruled the eighties. And there's also a strong touch of old SLAYER. "Tyrants Of The Netherworld" has a very similar feeling like the classics "Show No Mercy" and "Haunting The Chapel". But I don't mean that these Metalheads from Koblenz sound like one of these 'retro-clones'. Absolutely not, DESASTER reanimates the old feeling and atmosphere without stealing the well known old riffs and song structures. They just play that old-fashioned style in a very refreshing way. Forget about the lame DESTRUCTION reunion, if you wanna listen to some good ol' German Thrash Metal check out these tyrants of the netherworld.  My fave songs are 'Profanation' and 'Call On The Beast'. Thumbs up and thrash em all...

Hacker

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DESASTER
Souls Of Infernity (7" EP)
(Iron Pegasus Records)

A new DESASTER release, which somehow isn't thaaaat new anymore, but still interesting enough to get a mention here. This four song vinyl exclusive marks Occulto's farewell as DESASTER unfortunately had to continue on without him, which is rather sad because this guy really had a unique extreme voice. But it seems the band already knew to convince on the live front with his replacement, so everything will most certainly be fine again. The good thing about this 7" is: as far as I know all of the songs are not available anywhere else! So, if you consider yourself a die hard DESASTER fan you definitely need to make sure to pick up this little piece of plastic. On side one you'll get two studio tracks that were recorded during the "Tyrants Of The Netherworld" session. The record kicks off with 'Souls Of Infernity', a typical DESATER rager of raw oldschool Black / Thrash, followed by 'Cross Me Fool', a very cool cover of Canada's one and only RAZOR! Side two features the wellknown DESASTER tracks 'Sataniac' and 'Show Them How', but these versions were recorded live at the Wacken Festival in 2001 - which was not only their 99th gig in total, but also the band's biggest show ever, if I do remember correctly... The 7" packaging looks pretty cool and is blessed with a great coverart so that you definitely won't find any lame excuses why you didn't pick this up by the time it was available. All further ordering info you might get here: Iron-Pegasus@t-online.de
  
Frank Stöver

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DESASTER
Divine Blasphemies
(Iron Pegasus Records)
40:33min

With all respect to the undeniable qualities of former DESASTER vocalist Okkulto, who always did a great job of course - the energy set free by new frontman Sataniac is maybe what the band was still lacking in in the past. Sataniac not only comes across totally possessed sounding, but also incredibly powerful and aggressive, yet always in the oldschool vein and therefore perfectly fits into the thrashing Death Metal style of Infernal, Odin and Tormentor! Apart from that "Divine Blasphemies", the fourth regular full length (not counting the "Stormbringer" mini CD or the vinyl compilation "Ten Years Of Desaster" here), turned out very typical for the band, which means you still recognize their unique brand of raw Thrash infected insanity, with a variety ranging from early VENOM to KREATOR and the likes, but always unique enough not to be labeled as a cheap retro copycat kinda thing. KREATOR's Mille even guests on the track 'Nighthawk', which not only was a cool idea in its own way, the result even ended up becoming one of the finest Thrash duets ever to be recorded! But the rest of the album is by no means overshadowed by that particular song - the whole material is of a similar high quality and the opening tune 'Divine Blasphemies' probably the most intense track the guys ever composed in their entire history so far! So, no need to worry - this album is certainly as great as DESASTER's previous outbursts, if not even stronger and highly recommended to the true, loyal oldschool legions around the globe! Should be available from every good mailorder or directly from the label. Contact: Iron-Pegasus@t-online.de
  
Frank Stöver

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DESASTER / SABBAT
Sabbatical Desasterminator (Split CD)
(Witchhammer Production)
65:05min

This is a rather typical release for all crazy die hard underground lunatics: a split CD that features live recordings of Japan's SABBAT and Germany's DESASTER (both very dedicated acts for many years), with a black and white packaging and (of course) limited to 666 handnumbered copies. Unlike many of these type of releases, this surprisingly does NOT come up with a poor (tapetrading - like) recording quality, but actually offers a surprisingly good sounding one. Of course it still does not come across like a mega professional big budget live album, but that isn't the purpose of such a limited item anyway. So, what we get here is 6 tracks of each band – DESASTER's part was recorded in Bladel (NL) on June 13, 2003 when the band was on tour with ZEMIAL, while SABBAT obviously were captured during a show they used to play in their home country on May 4, 2003 at the "Music Farm" (at least they talk in their native tongue the whole time). The live intensity impressively comes across on this release and explains the good reputation of both bands in that department. I will probably never become a SABBAT fan, but it's still great to hear these guys perform their very furious set nevertheless. And DESASTER...? Well, they are as devastating as ever! I suppose I won't have to talk about their live qualities anymore as most of you have probably experienced the band "for real" sometime already. So, if you consider yourself a fan of DESASTER and / or SABBAT, or you simply collect obscure underground releases, make sure to get your hands on a copy of this one. It sells for 13,- US $ / 12,- € (ppd.) from: Witchhammer Production, c/o Jerasak C., 6/404 Soi. Phahonyothin 48, Anusaowaree, Bangkhen, BKK City 10220, Thailand, email: witchhammer666@hotmail.com

Frank Stöver

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DESASTER
Angelwhore
(Metal Blade Records)
52:10min

Even though they got signed by Metal Blade now, the Hellbangers Moselfranken league DESASTER still stayed true to their roots on their fifth full length album. As expected the production is raw and intense and definitely delivers the typical 80s DESASTER Thrash flair. The band simply re-used all of their typical trademarks which they already built up from the very beginning. From the middle age type of melodies to the deadly bangers you're about to re-discover every element, which is already known from their past releases. In my opinion the vocals of Sataniac are just a bit too upfront in the mix. But they’re definitely extreme, so that there’s for sure real DESASTER brutality to discover. Lovers and nostalgics of real underground classics will certainly appreciate the artwork by Chris Moyen, so all in all DESASTER still deliver real underground Metal art in a quality way. I nevertheless don’t think that it’s easy to promote a band like them through a big label, cause this music is for dedicated freaks exclusively and definitely not for the masses. But at least Metal Blade had the balls to release this album, which is a total trendkiller, crushing everything that is easy to be sold at the moment!!! Honest music from an honest band – respect!!! www.total-desaster.de The CD can be ordered here.

Ralf Hauber

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DESDEMONIA
Paralyzed
(self financed)
39:24min

DESDEMONIA hail from Luxemburg, a rather exotic place when it comes to extreme music. The band was founded back in 1994, and “Paralyzed” is their sophomore full length. I was unaware of the very existence of this outfit until today, and I am afraid I will forget about them once this review is finished, due to the extremely generic music they play. “Paralyzed” almost tops the 40 minutes mark, and I can guarantee these were the longest I experienced in my existence. My long Metal life has tought me that you can’t trust about the quality of albums with one-word song titles (this revealing more than often modern trendy and boring stuff), and again this homemade axiom is proved right with “Paralyzed”. The pacing of the 9 songs on offer here is rather pedestrian I must say, and personally I can’t stand this kind of mid-tempo extravaganza. All the songs are highly unmemorable to say the least, and the whole could be equated to a wall of boredom you will crash against for sure once the “play” button is pushed. Yet I have to give a special mention to vocalist Tom Dosser (who plays bass also) because of his extremely good performance, this guy could complete the line-up of more talented bands thanks to his skills. Apart from that, there is nothing really worth to mention on this album. I vaguely suppose DESDEMONIA is about Death Metal, but just thinking about it makes me tired. To sum it up: life is too short to lose time with such a release, so I consider I spare you precious minutes of your existence advising you to stay away from “Paralyzed”. A free advice to the DESDEMONIA dudes: the key of good songwriting lies in contrast, think about it next time, or quit music for ever. Contact if you dare: http://www.desdemonia.net.

Edouard Vergriete

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