DAMIEN THORNE
The Sign Of The Jackal
(Metal for Muthas / High Vaultage)
51:23min

A true classic of 80s US Heavy Metal! Originally produced by the band and David DeFeis (VIRGIN STEELE) in 1985, "The Sign..." develops loads of energy, even though (or maybe because) the sound is quite raw. Speed Metal killers like the title track or ‘Fear Of The Dark’ simply kick some serious ass while entering your brain in no time. Even after all these years I find a new fave track almost every time I put on this record. Some Death Metal fans might have problems with singer Justin’s high screams (reminds me a little of Brian Thomas of Detroit’s finest HALLOWEEN). However, Justin doesn’t overexaggerate his abilities. "The Sign Of The Jackal" requires fanatic headbanging and I’m looking forward to the next 2 albums scheduled for the near future. Until then: enjoy this cult classic with 4 bonus tracks and a massive booklet (lyrics, interviews, photos, etc.). By the way, catch DAMIEN THORNE on their first trip to Germany in July 2003 at the Headbangers’ Open Air or at the the Keep It True Festival in case they come to an agreement with Justin or find a new singer quickly. www.damienthorne.com, www.highvaultage.de On sale here.

Ramon Claassen

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DARK ANGEL
Darkness Descends (The Black Edition)
(Century Media Records)
65:14min

After their successful (albeit not spectacular) debut album “We Have Arrived”, the “L.A. caffeine machine” returns in 1986 with their second full length. It is possible that the menace in those days of a thermonuclear war has something to do with the sound on this release, but they appear as a complete different band. Whereas their debut was a mixture of traditional Heavy Metal and Speed / Thrash Metal, “Darkness Descends” with their simple, yet great cover art, has almost none Heavy Metal sound, and defines in a very brutal way what we know about Thrash Metal. The first thing that strikes is in the production. They were able to create a massive, yet clear guitar tone, that to me, it sounds like the buzz of the wings of an angry vengeance-thirsty angel, with Jim Durkin and Eric Meyer as the leading troopers of vengeance. Then, it comes with a hellish rhythmic section with Rob Yahn on bass (although on the back cover appears Mike Gonzalez who became a member after the recording of the album) and the war-drum performance by the soon to be legendary skin basher Gene Hoglan. Add to that, the demonic vocals of Don Doty. Whereas in the debut album he used a more melodic approach, with some slight touches of raspy-aggressive singing, here, he goes for a completely different style. Gone are the melodic lines, and most of the time he goes for the aggressive-almost-spoken fast style of phrasing. Then he adds in a couple of places some deadly high-pitched screams in such a way, it fits the music in a perfect way. Every time I listen to this album, I just cannot think of any other vocal style that might go as good with the music as the one Don does here. Then, we have a very important issue in the lyrics. Most of them written by drummer Hoglan, they go on about doom, perdition and the decline of the human race. At times, there are way too many lyrics, but the again, without them, the full effect that the band was aiming for, would be falling short. From minute one, when the title song 'Darkness Descends' sets in, it shows us that we have not heard what fast was meant to be, without making noise. In all that massive sound attack, DARK ANGEL were wise enough to add many hooks, many riffs that caught the attention of the listener, besides showing us a complex song structure, the final delivery comes out sounding very straightforward. Although not all the songs are full Speed Metal attacks, it seems like the band has a very high stamina through the entire album. 'The Burning Of Sodom' continues in a high speed face-melting riff-o-rama followed by 'Hunger Of The Undead', which is more in a mid-tempo approach, yet full of hatred and despise. They were clever enough to re-record 'Merciless Death' from their previous release, and it does sound deadlier than the original version. It is hard to compare the band to any one, although maybe SLAYER with touches of VENOM would be a loose way to describe them. 'Death Is Certain (Life Is Not)' is not only a statement of truth, but also a skull crushing song. 'Black Prophecies' is a long, over 8 minutes song, with a constant bass-drumming, which I think very few drummers will be able to keep the pace and for that long, without using computer drum tricks nowadays. It all ends in the fire-storming assault of 'Perish In Flames' which is now to be considered a hymn of obscure Thrash Metal. The album itself, the seven songs, is just around 35 minutes, which is the perfect time for such kind of monumental offering. There is no weak song here, and it does feel like truly darkness has descended upon the weak mortals. The atmosphere achieved in this album is a real triumph for doom, death and perdition, played all at high speed. Very few bands have been able to do such as this quintet once do. Now, this one has been re-released a couple of times, this being “The black edition” in a digipack king-size edition (which, again, looks fine, but where the hell do you put this one in a normal CD collection?) It contains all the lyrics, with no less than 8 bonus live songs (five from a show in Philadelphia October 23rd, 1988 and three from a show at the Country Club, Resada on April 22nd, 1989) . The bonus songs really add few values to this (as if it needs it). For those who were too young to catch this one when it was released, this is a chance to listen to one of the big pillars in extreme music. This is DARK ANGEL at their best, and up to this day few have ever come near to the intensity shown here. May Darkness arrive upon us all…www.centurymedia.com. You can order a copy here.

Julian Nuñez

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DARK ANGEL
Leave Scars (The Black Edition)
(Century Media Records)
76:53min

The third attack form this long running Thrash Metal band finally arrives. There was a lot of expectation for this album, especially due to the fact that with their previous one “Darkness Descends” they have done a monumental achievement in obscure Thrash Metal. A few changes have occurred since their last album. Don Doty is gone, which was a shock for many fans. He was replaced by the newcomer Ron Rinehart. And this time, the band decided to produce the album by themselves. This was a big, major mistake. On the verge of becoming a force in the Thrash Metal scene, in a time were Death Metal was on the rising (and in fact the brutal style of DARK ANGEL was more than enough to compete with any Death Metal band, that ferocious it was…) all they needed was a powerful production. And damn, did they fail on this one. I mean, it is not a total failure, but the sound became too noisy for their own good. If there was a “muddy” sound, “Leave Scars” got it, and believe me, it was not the right way. This was a major set back for the band, as the music itself was almost in the same league as their former album. One thing that was, let’s say “weird” was the cover art. While not bad, the image of a little girl on the cover art is not exactly what we expect form a band named DARK ANGEL (and do not start me on the cover of “Time Does Not Heal”). The lyrical content, done by big drummer Gene Hoglan is now more based on troubled minds, dealing with things like paedophilia, physical abuse and mind torture. Passing by the awful mix, is a shame that such brilliant Thrash Metal anthems as 'The Death Of Innocence', the magnificent 'No One Answers' and 'The Promise Of Agony' were almost buried under a lousy sound. They kept their speed almost intact, and they also deliver more mid-tempo attack like in 'Never To Rise Again' or 'Older Than Time Itself'. Another thing I do not understand is the inclusion of LED ZEPPELIN’s cover 'Immigrant Song'. Gene and Mike once told me that they were a Thrash Metal band influenced by old rock bands, rather than influenced by other Thrash Metal bands. Yes, I suppose that it is true and that gives them a sound of their own, but to be honest covering some of those bands was not a good idea, as the cover, in any form you want to take it, sounds way poor and out of context. 'Worms' is the first instrumental song the band has ever delivered, and it is quite morbid, yes, and goes along with the overall concept of the album, but has little to do with Metal, so let’s say it was used to complete the picture. Also, to be noticed again are the long songs and lyrics. Speaking of them, let’s refer to the vocal performance by Ron. He is in a different league than Don, and while maybe having a similar approach, he falls short and at the end sounds a bit uni-dimensional in his approach, as he basically tries to sing / speak the words (with a bit of Hardcore edge to my taste)  and does a bit of screams here and there, but never reaching the level of the previous vocalist. The rest of the musicians keep their level in a very good shape, just are not able to show it properly, due to the production. It really pisess me off that almost 20 years from the release of this album, that the record label was not smart enough to ask them to re-record the thing again or at least invest something in a new mix or something. This “Black edition” comes again in a big sized digipack format, with all the lyrics, new graphics and layout besides 4 live bonus songs (two from a show in Philadelphia October 23rd, 1988 and two from a show at the Country Club, Resada on April 22nd, 1989) . It is also re-mastered, but to tell you the truth, when the original mix is that muddy, a re-mix can’t help that much. Still, even of all my disappointment with many things here, this is a very good Thrash Metal album, and at least it does sound a bit more decent than the original vinyl edition I used to love / hate back in the day. If I was able to summon Cronos (the time god not the VENOM vocalist) I would change a bit the cover art, disregard the cover song and re-record the whole thing. Then, this band would destroy anything in its path. They still came to release a final album (which is also a great piece of Thrash Metal with a proper production) but I think the wounds caused by these one, were so deep, that even this once great DARK ANGEL was not that strong to survive. Still, the riffs are there, the aggression is here, and for newer generations, a jewel to discover. www.centurymedia.com. Available here.

Julian Nuñez

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DARK ANGEL
Time Does Not Heal (The Black Edition)
(Century Media Records)
79:12min 

Revisiting this album brings both good and bad memories for me. Good, in the sense this was DARK ANGEL at its climax both musically and popularity-wise. Bad, because even though they left the scene on a high note their avid fans at the time (me included) got pretty frustrated by seeing one of the most important Metal bands of the US vanish into obscurity without even doing a proper return to form now in the 21st century. Just like their previous albums, this is a full-classics-packed slab of technical Thrash Metal prowness that in many ways was a nice transition from their older work into a somewhat more sophisticated approach but without betraying their roots. Every song seems to lit the gear on fire due to the sheer intensity, heaviness and brutality. METALLICA, TESTAMENT, ANTHRAX and many others would have wished to end their golden era with something at least close to this album. Now for our listening pleasure, Century Media has released a new version of DARK ANGEL's magnum obra in the form of a limited edition kingsize digipack (comes in an additional black slipcase), featuring a 16-page kingsize booklet incl. all lyrics, new graphics and layout. The CD itself is remastered and comes up with 2 live bonus tracks (from a show at the Country Club, Resada on April 22nd, 1989). I really encourage you all Thrash fiends to get this. You won't repent. Order at: www.centurymedia.com. Also on sale here.

Mario Cubero

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DARKTHRONE
Soulside Journey
41:44min
A Blaze In The Northern Sky
42:04min
Under A Funeral Moon
40:41min
Transilvanian Hunger
39:04min
(Peaceville Records)

In a time between the decline of the Ancient Ones of Death / Black Metal, there was the next generation of diehards keeping the scene alive through the international underground. Globally, the scene survived through fanzines, tape traders and the dedicated bands themselves. Eventually the Death Metal scene rose but unfortunately then came the infamous trend that subsequently caused the rise of Black Metal. Several worthy Death Metal bands did not get respected by the trendies and then began the transformation... With that in mind, before Darkthrone became known as True Norwegian Black Metal, they were once known as a Death Metal band. Like various other Death Metal groups at the time, they did not get as much recognition as deserved. Nevertheless, "Soulside Journey" was released and the diehards in the underground certainly gave them support! Musically very well played and lyrically well thought out, this album is one of the jewels of the late 80's style Death Metal! "Soulside Journey" incorporates heavy and atmospheric guitar riffs, with slow, mid paced and genuine thrash beats! Lots of double bass and rolls display some great drumming by Fenriz! There are even guitar solos and a seldom used synth on this recording!! Ted Skjellum's (Nocturno Culto) voice is a deep mid and as killer as ever! All these elements show that Darkthrone certainly do have musicianship skills that some may not be aware of today. There is a variation of tempo and riff changes throughout the album which keep it very flexible. At times it can be an all out Thrashing Death Metal assault, and others it can be melodic with haunting harmonious guitars. To summon it all up, this is an essential album of Total Death!!! Next came "A Blaze In The Northern Sky", "Under A Funeral Moon" and "Transilvanian Hunger". By then (early 90's), the new Trendy Death Metal scene had practically erased the original Death Metal essence created by bands such as Possessed, Celtic Frost and Bathory (for those of you not aware, yes, the fact is those bands were actually known as Death Metal back in the 80's!). That is the time when Darkthrone started heading towards Black Metal. Which is kind of ironic because especially during that era, Black Metal actually had more of the original Death Metal elements than the new Trendy Death Metal scene. I emphasize the word Trendy, because true Death Metal has the same roots as Black Metal, no question about it! The new Trendy Death Metal scene was being represented by bands wearing bermuda shorts, jogging suits and sports clothing, playing music that did not have cult conviction behind it. Some bands even started claiming to be so called "Christian Death Metal"! That's when Darkthrone started using aliases, put on the corspepaint and officially became known as Black Metal! The three forementioned albums are a bit different from each other but yet similar in that they are all the unique style of "raw" sounding Black Metal the Darkthrone way! It's not about being the fastest band in the world, or being the most technical band, nor having a great production! "A Blaze..." opens up with some Satanic sounding chants, then goes into the epic 'Kathaarian Life Code'!  The song opens up with a fast thrashing verse and soon goes into a mid pace riff quickly going back to the opening speed then really slows down to another realm. The song continues on it's journey through different speeds and riffs and so does the rest of the music on the recording. One can hear the Ancient Ones influence, but Darkthrone creates it's own aura. The majority of the album consists of fast and mid-tempos provided by the energetic drumming of Fenriz! All these portals summon the darkness through the unholy spiritual feel of the music! Not to mention the evilness brought forth through the lyrical articulation! Which by the way, the voice of Nocturno Culto fits perfectly! The vocals are grim and convincing, they sound possessed!!! The riffs are atmospheric, sometimes brutal and other times obscurely melodic or depressive. "Under A Funeral Moon" basically picks up where it's predecessor left off. The infernal sound of Darkthrone continues to bring forth True Norwegian Black Metal. "Transilvanian Hunger" takes the listener into another chapter of it's black art, summoning a trance-like flow into the abysmal depths of Darkthrone. The unique dirty sound is lead by the dimension, visions of darkness prevail. Eternally captured, these albums remain cult classics, still casting it's spell. Many have tried to copy the necro Black Metal style of Darkthrone, but they remain to be monumental. If you consider yourself a Death / Black Metal fanatic, these albums are simply a must have! Plus with the re-issues you get the opportunity to see Fenriz & Nocturno Culto speak for them selves (each album got enriched by a video interview as a bonus - Ed.)!! To put this to a close, all hail the mighty Darkthrone!!! You can order them here.

Rick Cortez

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DARKTHRONE
Frostland Tapes (3CD set)
(Tyrant Syndicate / Peaceville Records)
137:55min

This is every DARKTHRONE fan's ultimate wet dream and at the same time a serious kick in the butt for all the lousy bootleggers out there, who already tried to cash in on the early days of this Norwegian cult act by spreading shitty sounding copies of "Land Of Frost", "A New Dimension", "Thulcandra" and "Cromlech". "Frostland Tapes" is an official release, done by the members of DARKTHRONE and released through their Tyrant Syndicate label in co-operation with Peaceville Records. It is actually way more than just another demo collection, even though it has all four DARKTHRONE tapes on offer as well… This is a massive 3CD set that comes in a deluxe looking digibook type packaging, and it features a 16-pages booklet (with various comments by Fenriz and Nocturno Culto), an old DARKTHRONE bandshot from the "Soulside Journey" session in the middle of it and all demo covers (a little bit too small for my taste though). The digibook itself is completely in black, while the frontcover offers a moody picture of a winter landscape and an embossed DARKTHRONE logo on top of it. And the music? Well, this release pretty much has all DARKTHRONE recordings prior to "Soulside Journey" and more… CD 1 comprises of 1988's debut demo "Land Of Frost", the 2 track instrumental follow-up tape "A New Dimension" and 1989's "Thulcandra" demo plus an extra track from that period, entitled 'Soria Moria'. CD 2 has the "Cromlech" demo from 1989, the rare 1990 studio track 'Iconoclasm Sweeps Cappadocia' and DARKTHRONE's already quite legendary Denmark show from 1990 (7 tracks). CD 3 could probably be seen as a bonus disc in here as its black papersleeve was simply glued to the booklet's backside… It is exclusively dedicated to the original (instrumental) "Goatlord" recordings from 1991 and basically the missing link in the DARKTHRONE recording history as this version was never officially released before (the album of the same name features vocals that were later added). Soundwise you shouldn't expect too much here (remember that all recordings originally were spread on cassettes and recorded in a very poor environment), but at least we finally get to hear them in the best quality there is of each of those often traded items. Next to HELLHAMMER's "Demon Entrails" and SLAUGHTER's "Tortured Souls" boxsets, "Frostland Tapes" is without a doubt one of the finest examples of how to do justice to classic demo material. A DARKTHRONE collection is definitely incomplete without this impressive package. On sale here. For more info check out www.peaceville.com

Frank Stöver

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DEAD
Poserslaughter Classic Remasters
(Poserslaughter Records)
89:41min

Between 1991 and 2001 these German sickos were releasing stuff like crazy. No less than five 7" EPs ("Defeat Remains", "Slaves To Abysmal Perversity", "Wanted For Kinky Sessions", "Orgasm Through Sleazy Vibes" and "Saturday Grind Fever"), two split 7" EPs (with GUT and MEATSHITS), a split CD with REGURGITATE, two demos ("Far Beyond Your Imagination" and "Slaves To The Abysmal Perversity") and two full length albums ("You'll Never Know Pleasure - Until You've Tasted Pain" and "V.I.P.") saw the light of day. Additionally a compilation CD ("Les Stars Du Rock Porno"), which a.o. features a lot of the just mentioned EP / demo stuff, was issued after DEAD's temporarely split-up in 1998... And now we have this "Poserslaughter Classic Remasters" CD, which is basically another compilation release, that comprises of the complete "You'll Never Know Pleasure..." album, the eight songs off the split CD with REGURGITATE as well as the two tracks from their first 7" EP. Soundwise this is far more impressive than the original releases though, due to the fact that everything got successfully remastered for this special release. Especially the split CD stuff sounds incredibly crushing now and is definitely the highlight on this release! Even though the band could easily be associated with the Porn-Deathgrind genre (due to songtitles, coverart and intros they use), I never really had a problem with DEAD because musically you (luckily) don't recognize that too often (apart from a handful of intros maybe). So, even those of you who share my views can still enjoy them nevertheless. At the end of the day this is nothing but extremely well executed, totally raw and straight ahead grinding Death Metal of the most brutal kind. Kinda like a mixture of old SweDeath, early CARCASS and classic AUTOPSY. In the meantime DEAD has reformed (after having already played a one off gig in 2001 as LES STARS DU ROCK PORNO) and a new release is currently in the making. And the best way to get in the right mood for it, is first of all to check out this approximately 90 minutes effort! So, don't hesitate to contact poserslaughter@bossmail.de for ordering information. Band contact: xxlcunt@freenet.de

Frank Stöver

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DEAD CONGREGATION / HATESPAWN
Split CD
(Nuclear Winter Records)
10:13min

Greeks Dead Congregation master speedy Death Metal, rending you into a ponderous mental state of furious and relentless agonies. Choppy beat switch-ups and dismal dark riffing incite the nauseating sickness of real Death Metal played by real players who relish, amongst other sundry oppressive qualities in their sound, the odd-felt pinch-harmonic bends of some classic death bands; in this case, most particularly, Incantation. Germans Hatespawn kill alike with some very powerful real Death Metal execution. Excellent mood and some melodic soloing emerge through slogging slow sections. Of the two acts, the vocals of Hatespawn are more varied and captivating, while, in a series of progressively slurring deliveries, sound something like a more guttural VADER. This is an absolutely killer split all around, hugely recommended for Death Metal freaks. For more info, check out www.nuclearwinter.cjb.net, www.myspace.com/nuclearwinterrecords

Len Likas

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DEADMARCH
The Project Hate MCMXCIX - Initiation Of Blasphemy 
(Vic Records)
52:37min

DEADMARCH can be seen as the embryonic version of THE PROJECT HATE MCMXCIX... At work we sometimes play the web-radiostation Kink Aardschok and THE PROJECT HATE MCMXIC (first and last time I write these latin number in this review) caught my attention there already. Quite heavy, with a powerful grunt and (therefore) different than those keyboard and female vocals overloaden types of 'Metal' acts that are mainstream these days. And who get a lot of airplay… But on to the music. You get Metal with a brutal grunt by Jörgen Sandstörm (GRAVE, VICIOUS ART, TORTURE DIVISION etc.) and a powerful and groovy guitarsound. On the other hand you get an assisting female vocalist, (exotic) keyboards, groovy riffs. The snare drumsound doesn't really fit the overall heaviness in my opinion. Some riffs would fit on HYPOCRISY's album "Abducted" but that's another of mine. I like to get my (Swedish) Metal served a lot sleazier and raging, but despite the use of female keys it isn't whimpy (except the intro of 'So I Mourn') and this isn't Gothic or NU Metal. This is their first album and actually recorded with another vocalist called Mikael who, according to the site (correct me if I'm wrong), was sort of upset by being blown away by Jörgen's backing vocals. This edition of "Deadmarch: Initiation Of Blasphemy" features the former GRAVE frontman handling all male vocals. Apparently it took so long 'cause the original tapes were missing and Lord K decided to have it another thought in 2003. On some tracks you can find the band's near finding their style 'cause tracks like 'Divinity Erased' and 'So I Mourn' are blueprints for what would follow on later releases. Conclusion: a groovy but cool debut album with good songwriting but too less variation and with balls to use controversial elements. The music may be too soft for the traditional Death Metal fan due to the female vocals, big keyboard role and the groove. And clearly because it's never near the other / former bands with Jörgen. On the other hand, Jörgen's grunt will be too heavy for fans who enjoy their 'Metal' spiced up with electronics. Maybe fans of DIMMU BORGIR, SEPTIC FLESH or even OPETH and ETERNAL TEARS AND SORROW (Kink) wil dig this, or at least some parts. THE PROJECT HATE understood the benefit of internet and their website www.theprojecthate.net is more a platform than just a source of information. Or check www.myspace.com/theprojecthate. This album is released through Dutch Vic Records: www.vicrecords.com

Michael Tak

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DEATH
Scream Bloody Gore
(Century Media Records)
47:14min

The Infernal Death… more than 20 years have passed since the release of this album, form this band which mastermind ‘Evil’ Chuck Schuldiner, is now considered a legend, praised by the brutality of his early effort or the musical finesse of the later ones…but here is where it all started…it was the year 1987, when to shock the masses in the field of Heavy Metal was becoming more than an experience…influenced by SLAYER, VENOM and specially POSSESSED, this young band which has been doing noise since 1984 with a couple of demos under the MANTAS and then later the very ‘original’ DEATH moniker, finally got the attention of Combat Records to release their debut album. At the time of the release, this was criticized by the more mainstream Heavy Metal publications as just absurd noise…but again the real fans loved it and pushed the band to new heights…formed by a young Charles Michael Schuldiner on guitars / growls and Christopher Reifert on drums (a certain John Hand is credited as rhythm guitarist but the truth is he did not play on this album), they went on with legendary producer Randy Burns to record their debut. Few know that actually the band started recording this one in Florida, but after finishing the rhythm section, they were not convinced by the sound, so they decided to record it again in L.A.10 songs of brutal Death Metal were recorded. The first thing that strikes the listener is the ferocious attack the band delivers, with thick and very fast guitar riffs and a monstrous rhythm section, although sounding still primitive, they do have a distinct melody hidden in there. The Zombie Ritual… enter the vocals of hell, with Chuck’s diabolic, pus-spewing vocal style, which can only be compared to those of Jeffrey Becerra, with a very similar approach, and let’s say ‘technique’, that adds an infinite level of brutality to the already intense music. Chuck's vocal style was also quite diverse on its own, not only doing some low growls, but also trying some more high pitched screams which does refer to the torture chamber of an occult sect. The Denial Of life… lyric wise this is an exercise in old gore movies, if you have not noticed it, and they were meant to shock, to be repulsive and to make parents fear their kids will get their hands on this kind of music. The Sacrificial… whereas the song structures are quite simple and in your face, the band is capable of creating very ‘catchy’ hooks with well defined melodic interludes that blend together in blood soaking perfection with the explosive brutality of the songs. The Mutilation…if you had a trained ear for brutal Death Metal, then you could listen that deep in the core, or should I say guts, of the music, lies a strong NWOBHM influence, and bands like ANGEL WITCH, JUDAS PRIEST or DEMON might have some of their riffs stolen, then dressed-up in pus and gastric juices, and then speed up and deformed to demonic heights to then be added to the rotting stench that DEATH creates. The Regurgitated Guts…do not expect always a full speed ahead musical attack, as Chuck & Co. are also able to do mid-tempo songs and breaks, with face melting riffs, and they even add some very good solos (for such a young band) to add a bit of change…To be Baptized in blood…what makes this one different at the time, was not only the approach to the gore aspects, rather than the Satanic approach similar bands had, but also the way they (de)compose songs, with sometimes an hypnotic-like repetitive riff, that suddenly breaks with a melodic passage to the return again to that simple, yet effective sound, that evokes heavy head banging… To be Torn to pieces…the strength, the energy this band of brutal Death Metal injects in each and every one of their songs, makes this one a very strong affair, where there are no fillers, and at this point the personality of ‘Evil’ Chuck is present as he was a bit of a perfectionist, leaving out songs as ‘Legion Of Doom’ for not being in the same league as the rest. The Evil Dead… no one can deny that in this first sacrificial offering, they took a very direct up-front approach with simple, yet very effective riffs, that stays in your head after long time, and you can even recognize some subtle arrangements that speaks of greater things to come. To Scream Bloody Gore... after being released and re-released many times in the past, this new edition is re-mastered, includes ‘Denial Of Life’ in a unreleased live version, it contains a new layout and liner notes by the once big supporter of Metal and this band Borivoj Krgin… Beyond the unholy grave… Chuck passed away some few years ago, still his legacy continues (in a deathly form) with releases as this, which is truly a rotten jewel in the underground Death Metal scene… Land of no return…This debut album, with all the flaws that might have in production and execution, is without doubt a milestone in the genre and an essential disc in any self-respecting fan of underground music. Like the fantastic Ed Repka cover art, just raise your blood-filled cups and drink for master Chuck while you head bang and SCREAM BLOODY GORE!!! www.centurymedia.com. On sale here.

Julian Nuñez

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DEATH
Leprosy
(Century Media Records)
63:02min

Criticized by many…disregarded as musicians, treated like creators of just pure noise…1988 was a tough year for DEATH and some so called ‘specialized’ press magazines…yet, that only encouraged a more mature Chuck Schuldiner to return with a vengeance (from the grave) with its masterful second album and now a full line-up… The Leprosy…’Evil’ Chuck returns on vocals and guitars, alongside to Bill Andrews on drums, Rick Rozz on guitars and Terry Butler on bass (although Chuck told once that he did all the bass lines in this album). To be Born Dead…now, the band with mastermind ‘Evil’ Chuck at the front, attacks in a way they only know to, with deep, brutal and a bit more complex form of Death Metal. The speed found on their debut album was tuned down a little bit, yet the massive guitar attack was here, and the overall atmosphere of the album sounded more mature and macabre, and also, heavier… The Forgotten Past… Ed Repka returns to give life (or death) to the cover art, which I always thought was a bit on the pinky side, but oh well, the art itself was fitting the album’s name. The lyrics drifted now a little bit from the Gore soaked butchery found in the previous effort, and now takes more into the afterthoughts of death and some macabre happenings within mankind… To be Left To Die…the production courtesy of Morrisound studios, is a grandiose offering of pounding guitars and powerful drums, and just maybe, gets the bass a bit way too low in the mix, something which goes almost unnoticed due to the guitar tune on this one… To Pull the plug…Obviously now Chuck is allowed to have more freedom in the way the songs are arranged, the obvious references to bands like POSSESSED, SLAYER and VENOM are still there, but they are taking an undeniable form in itself, giving the band an identity. With more experience, and accomplished musicians, one can listen to a more professional entity that gives each song their very own morbid way. The guitar solos are way more elaborated than before, being adept to the music. The Open Casket…Still, after all the improvements over the debut disc, the raw, brutish aggression is here and in deadly form. The subtle melody is a bit more notorious, in part to the better production, but also by a far more complex arrangement and execution. The heaviness is also encompassed in such form, that it is something that up to this day I wonder if it was done on purpose, or because the drumming limitations of Bill Andrews. While being a competent drummer, he was not exactly that good on doing very fast parts, as those found on the early recordings, so he approached this one with less speed, thus making things sound heavier. Whatever the reason, it just added a more morbid and sick atmosphere. The Primitive Ways…after the release of this album, it was all going up for the band. Constant touring lead them to play in many places around the world, with a rabid fan base, that had found their new heroes, who came to replace the older bands which had gone in softer directions, or just disappeared from the face of the earth. Seeing DEATH live in their prime time was an experience, whereas the music did all the killing. To Choke On It…this new edition, has remastered sound (which is not that different form the already fantastic original one), it contains a completely new booklet layout, liner notes by journalist and all time supporter for Chuck, Borivoj Krgin (I still have a fanzine done by him ‘Violent Noize’ with a review for DEATH’s debut album) and 5 unreleased live songs (which happen to be ‘Open Casket’, ‘Choke On It’, ‘Left To Die’, ‘Pull The Plug’ and ‘Forgotten Past’). This was the final point for an era of the band. Their brutality and aggression, was set to be at the highest within the first two albums. It is hard for me to tell which one I prefer, but undoubtedly, this one is the most morbid and obscure release of the band and the one I head bang and do more ‘devil horn’ signs. One of the few releases I own in every format. And one of the most influential Death Metal releases of all time. www.centurymedia.com.You can order a copy here.

Julian Nuñez

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DEATH
Spiritual Healing
(Century Media Records)
43:16min

Out of all the albums Chuck Schuldiner recorded with DEATH, only one seems to have received less attention than the other six. That was "Spiritual Healing", originally released in 1990. The early 1990s was a period of dramatic change for DEATH, particularly towards the end of the decade when fans were introduced to "Symbolic" and "The Sound Of Perseverance", both of which, though they were DEATH albums, hardly had anything in common with the earlier material. "Spiritual Healing" is one of the evolutionary gaps that fills the void between 1988 and 1995. When stacked against the decayed, depraved savagery of "Leprosy" and "Scream Bloody Gore", "Spiritual Healing" is a fair step down though it is not a bad album. It's a far sight better than the flood of derivative crud that spewed out of Morrisound soon thereafter in fact. What sets "Spiritual Healing" apart from its predecessors is the change in speed and the amount of breathing room between heavy riffs. The beginnings of DEATH's later musical journey can even be heard on "Leprosy" if one listens closely enough. However, "Spiritual Healing" is where the changes are most apparent in the early discography. To the album's discredit, it lacks the kind of moving forward feel that gave "Human" its legendary status and elevated "Individual Thought Patterns", and "Symbolic" to equal notoriety. The lyrics, and concept of the album too are a serious deviation from what was then, the DEATH norm. Gone was gore, in was anti-evangelical preaching which, I'm sure, we've all heard before but will secretly never tire of. One may say "Spiritual Healing" was a kind of demo, where Chuck and the other members of DEATH got their feet wet in very different waters. This re-release has no bonus tracks, but was remastered and comes as a limited edition digipack. The booklet features a new layout, has all the lyrics and liner notes by Borivoj Krgin. www.emptywords.org, www.centurymedia.com. It is on sale here.

Nat Shapiro

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DEATH
Human
(Century Media Records)
33:51min

After a somewhat disappointing third album with "Spiritual Healing", and many, and I mean many hard situations Chuck Schuldiner was facing, so far as to get to the point where the rest of the band with a session vocalist decided to tour Europe without him, well, things were supposed to change. Already there was the rumour of Chuck being a somewhat difficult person to deal with. What was a fact is that he was a musical genius, and those kinds of persons have a somewhat different approach to things than normal people do. I would like to think it was all the later. Anyway, "Human" has a strong statement, where Chuck states to ‘Let the metal flow, support music, not rumours’ and that this album is his personal victory, his revenge. He now assembled an impressive assortment of musicians, thus now DEATH is no more than Chuck and some people he will invite to play with him. So, in retrospective, it has always being the same since probably day one, but never more than in this album it can be truly defined as that. Now, to the musicians here, no one but Gene ‘Big’ Hoglan from the mighty DARK ANGEL is now the drummer. In my book, he is among the top 5 drummers ever. For the bass player, Steve Di’Giorgio from SADUS was hired, a gifted musician, who uses a fretless bass and has one of the most incredible senses of doing rhythm sections. By coincidence or maybe fate, Steve also once played with Chris Reifert (DEATH’s drummer in the debut album) in AUTOPSY. And then, to round things up, Paul Masvidal from CYNIC, as the other guitar player. With this impressive set of musicians, a couple of things were to happen: 1) the album was going to be a virtuoso fest and 2) the album was going to be less brutal. The weird cover art, the first one away from Ed Repka’s hand was the first indication that there was a change in here. Well, it is true that the musicians showed their quality in here, but for the good sake of Metal, it was more about the songs than just playing by millimetric precision. Again recorded in Morrisound (which now was the standard for Death Metal sound, and every band / label in that style wanted to record there) it does possess in fact a heavy guitar tone, which is more high trebled that the previous albums, and also has more bass sound in it. At first, for the die hard fans, this was a bit hard to swallow; the arrangements are a lot more complex, and although we were used to some subtle melody here and there, this is now more prominent, and the deep low end of the music, is now almost completely gone. On the other hand, the speed went up, way up, with the new drummer, so what we lost on heaviness we gain in speed. Still, there are way too many stops, breaks and rhythm changes that some songs sound more like a collection of rhythms than a song itself. Chuck vocals still continue to be a trademark of the band. Whereas on “Leprosy” he went for a lower, deeper voice most of the time, now he sounds more similar to the way he did on the debut, although leaning more to higher pitched growls. Lyrics are also completely different; it now deals more with psychological conflicts, betrayal and strong emotion. The dynamics of each song are quite different, yes, but I sense that they all have in common that weird composition style that Chuck was very good at. For the first time, we have an instrumental song, and the inclusion of few acoustic parts, somewhat totally new for the band. This one needs more than one listen to really appreciate the great songs. Although some miss the more straightforward approach of the early material, they seemed to gain a lot more fans and respect as musicians (something Evil Chuck was always after) with this album. In my personal point of view, probably a name change would have been a good choice, as the style was drifting away from what the name exactly implies; also, I think this was subtly present in the way the logo was changing (like dropping the inverted cross, the spider, the ghoul, for a clearer logo). But, maybe it was due to the fact that the name was supposed to follow Chuck through his career that he decided to go on with it. This new re-edition comes in a digipack presentation, with remastered sound, and a completely new layout for the booklet which includes all the lyrics. From the second ‘era’ of DEATH this is not my favourite one, but nonetheless, it is a great piece of extreme Metal, and lurking in there, the spirit of the early releases can be found if you listen closely, with such killer tunes as 'Flattening Of Emotions' and 'Together As One'. For those into more technical, yet extreme Metal, that sweeps the floor of most modern technical Death Metal bands, this is the reason why DEATH is heralded so high, and a statement of what Chuck was capable of. www.centurymedia.com. It is on sale here.

Julian Nuñez

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DEATH
Individual Thought Patterns 
(Century Media Records)
39:57min

If you ever thought mighty DEATH were not able to surpass the "Human" album, then you might be surprised quite a bit when "Individual Thought Patterns" slapped on your face. No doubt they did! For this album Mr. Schuldiner surrounded himself by the best musicians the scene offered at the time and they certainly did what they were expected to and beyond. This album took Metal to unexpected levels of depth, perfection and musical excellence. There is not a single loose end throughout the listening of natural-born-classics like 'Overactive Imagination', 'Jealousy', 'Nothing Is Everything' and everyone's favorite 'The Philosopher'. I dare to say albums like this and its predeccesor inspired a whole lot of musicians to actually work harder and improve their skills and that is how many other gems of technical Death Metal were released afterwards. It might be a good idea to revisit the past to find out where it all started for technical extreme Metal . This new edition of the album has been remastered, comes housed in a limited edition digipack with booklet, new layout and lyrics. Get it at www.centurymedia.com or here. 

Mario Cubero

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DEATH DEALER
Coercion To Kill
(Sonic Age Records / Cult Metal Classics)
61:46min

More than 20 years have passed since the creation of these songs. To be honest, it would be a shame if they'd get lost in nowhere. So, this is being re-released (and it has already been available on limited vinyl, which is already sold out)  for the enjoyment of the new generations. Enter Canada’s DEATH DEALER. I can easily recall the name linking it to another band, DEAF DEALER that released a quite enjoyable album in the late 80s. The reason is simple: it is actually the same band, only in an earlier incarnation. But let’s go back to DEATH DEALER. Although some time has passed by, and maybe some information has been lost through the ages, these are actually the demo songs the band recorded in early 1982 and 1983. As you can see, they were quite prolific, as we have here, over an hour of songs. The first thing that strikes me is the production. Although it was a demo, they were dedicated enough to go for a more “demo-album” approach, thus giving attention to all the details that a Heavy Metal band needs, meaning an up-front guitar sound, a powerful rhythm section and the vocals with the right amount of volume. There was a re-mastering involved, but I might remind you that the original tapes were quite good sounding. Now, let’s talk about the music. DEATH DEALER was a pure Heavy Metal band, although sometimes verging on the edge of Speed Metal, meaning they manage to have some up-tempo songs, but also leaning in some small places to a more hard rock approach. References might be made to IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST and many other NWOBHM bands. They rely a lot in a double guitar attack, whereas they are not afraid to use it in a way to pull out many tricks which sound convincing, yet they are very direct. Although they didn’t went as far as doing a ballad, they do have some more slower-paced songs like 'Occident Tale'. The vocals here were done by André Larouche, who has a quite adequate voice for the musical style, having a melodic yet also at time raspy voice, which sounded like a bastard son of Lemmy and Joe Elliot. Not exactly what I would call an outstanding vocalist, but damn, he pulls it right. I am appreciating the production of these songs more and more, as I have heard many albums of the same years that would be longing for at least half this production values, and I must remind you this is way before computers can make a lame band to sound like pros. In 1982, Heavy Metal and Hard Rock were like twin brothers and actually outside of the serious fans, the casual listener would think of both as the same. This come in reference to songs like 'The Screamer' that if it was the only song you get of the band, you will wrongly categorize them as a Hard Rock band. Later on, the band would go more for the style of songs like 'Death Dealer' with a more heavy and pounding rhythm that is predominant in most of the compositions. Yes, they were able to create some really good songs, and there was a LOT of future in the band. Although, some songs tend to sound a bit alike, the potential was there, and may I remind you this was a demo. They appeared on one of the Metal Massacre compilations and were handed a record contract with Metal Blade Records, and if I am not wrong there were some other big labels lurking behind. So, what happened? First, they got rid of the vocalist and some time later the drummer (who were both brothers by the way) and they changed the name to DEAF DEALER. They released a very good Heavy Metal album (with their “American“ names by the way!), where they almost got rid of the Hard Rock influences…another record was done and then they disappeared. Now after almost 30 years, we learn that their demise was quite weird, as they just loose their momentum by not signing a contract a year earlier, and maybe keeping the lineup intact. In retrospective, I am sure they would be one of the Canadian Heavy Metal monsters, that would probably have ended up doing some later great albums, and then after a couple more creating some crap albums, before calling it quits or trying to recapture their glory of the past. But as that did not happen, this is left as a legacy of a future that never was. This reissue contains besides a massive 20 page booklet with lyrics, pics and many info, a video for the song 'The Faddist'. For those who seek what was Heavy Metal at the early 80s, this is the right place to start. www.sonicagerecords.com

Julian Nuñez

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DEATH MILITIA
You Can't Kill What's Already Dead: Anthology 1985 – 1988
(Evil Legend Records)
77:03min

Canada's DEATH MILITIA rang a bell to me first and foremost because of the fact that they used to play quite a lot of shows with SACRIFICE back in the 80s. They also appeared in various tapetrader lists, so I even might have owned something of 'em myself at one point, but it probably ended up on some dusty tape somewhere in my collection so that I simply couldn't recall their music at all. Needless to say that I appreciated the idea of this CD compilation of their demos a lot, huh?! So, what do we get here? Well, from a band that went by the name DEATH MILITIA I honestly spoken expected some furious and raging Thrash Metal, a style that these guys not necessarily delivered! The only songs that fit this category on this disc are those 4 from 1985's "Onslaught Of Death" rehearsal tape. At the time it seemed as if SACRIFICE had quite an influence on their writing as it was musically along those lines. Despite its immatureness to me still their best stuff. Their 1987 and 1988 demos "To Serve And Protect" and "One Day Closer To Hell" (both with surprisingly good sound quality for the time they got released) showcase a band that seemed to be way more rooted in traditional NWOBHM / Power Metal (not the type of crap that mostly gets released in this genre these days!). Of course DEATH MILITIA used to be a lot heavier for its time, but the vocal style (angry, yet understandable) and guitar work recalls stuff that easily could've been released on Neat Records at the time. The disc's opener for example 'Beneath The Crosses' (taken from "To Serve And Protect") even has a VENOM 'Bloodlust' type of section to it. The CD gets completed by 4 instrumental rehearsal songs from 1987 / 1988 (unavailable on any other recording of the band) on which you'll also recognize DEATH MILITIA's pretty obvious love for MERCYFUL FATE (when it comes to the complex writing). This musical diversity over the years (that you couldn't exactly pinpoint the band's style) plus the fact that they had like ten members coming and going in their rather shortlived career might have resulted in the fact that DEATH MILITIA weren't really able to reach the popularity of their countrymen RAZOR, SLAUGHTER or SACRIFICE. So, their entire musical legacy is available now on this CD. The whole packaging it is quite exceptional: the disc is accompanied by a 20-pages fat booklet that features a short introduction (courtesy of Laurent Ramadier), an interview with the band, lots of old pictures, covers and flyers as well as comments of the members about each single song on offer here. So, even though their band name might have been a bit misleading, everyone into traditional, crushing and definitely very honest sounding 80s stuff is adviced to risk an ear here! For more info check out the label's website at www.evillegendrecords.com

Frank Stöver

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DEATHROW
Satan's Gift
(Displeased Records)
56:58min

DEATHROW are, thankfully, one of the many long forgotten Thrash bands of Germany's exquisitely bestial scene, that are finally returning to the limelight. Their first album, "Satan's Gift", otherwise known as "Riders Of Doom", showcases not only DEATHROW's promising talent, but the health and intensity of the international Thrash scene, particularly Canada and the band's home country, Germany. A piece of virtually every great Thrash band can be heard on "Satan's Gift". Everything. There's DESTRUCTION, SLAYER, KREATOR, SODOM, SACRIFICE, BLOOD FEAST, even AGGRESSION appear in the vocals. Clearly DEATHROW were well versed in Thrash to have such diverse influences present on their debut. In fact, it could be argued that DEATHROW paralleled KREATOR, for "Satan's Gift" was released the same year as "Pleasure To Kill" and contains a great many similarities to it. Of all the bands DEATHROW resembled in some way, they had more in common with KREATOR than anyone else, at least on "Satan's Gift". Anything that sounds, truly sounds, like "Pleasure To Kill" ought to be afforded some attention for it apparently isn't easy to write good Thrash. A fact every blowout band of the 80s and every new wave band may attest to. Even if DEATHROW weren't ground breaking, they were cutting edge at the very least, and they deserve to be remembered for it. This re-release (which, by the way, is officially available on CD for the very first time) got remastered and also has the 3 tracks off SAMHAIN's (pre-DEATHROW) 1985 debut demo "The Lord Of The Dead" as a bonus. The booklet features both album covers ("Satan's Gift" and "Riders Of Doom" on the front and backside respectively, the original thanks list, lyrics and vinyl innersleeve photo collage as well as an in-depth interview (courtesy of our own website). www.myspace.com/deathrowfans, www.displeasedrecords.com. Also available here.

Nat Shapiro

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DEATHROW
Raging Steel
(Displeased Records)
64:02min

There was a time when the difference between the American Thrash and the German Thrash was…well, that I liked a lot more the German Thrash! It was more primitive, aggressive and in your face. Whereas most bands in America at some point wanted to show they were musicians, the Germans were happy producing aggressive music. DEATHROW was one of the bands from let’s say, the second wave of Thrash in Teutonic lands. This second album, after a controversial label start (basically for the title of the album in the USA that changed from "Satan’s Gift" to "Riders Of Doom"), created a good expectation for this release. Whereas their debut album was compared to SLAYER and to some point to KREATOR, the band was clever enough to drift away a bit from sounding like a mere copy. As the rule in the late 80s, they have a quite simple logo, and a painted cover, with an epic-war was looking style, albeit fitting the band's lyrical content. DEATHROW’s lyrics on this album were more fantasy-based upon a land in war where demons and dragons besides swords and blood, were everywhere. Completing the picture was the ferocious Thrash Metal attack of this German quartet. A heavy, thick production courtesy of Harris Johns, makes this one lost jewel, and a serious contender for one of the best German Thrash Metal albums. Vocalist Milo is maybe a hard card to get completely into his style; whereas he is obviously a less growler that similar bands like KREATOR or SODOM, he is neither a vocalist. I have always thought of his style as quite similar to that of Don Doty of DARK ANGEL, although with his obvious personal tone. He is wise enough to add some really deadly screams here and there, and a few more melodic parts in some other songs like in ‘Beyond The Light’. The band plays mostly fast, but has some more mid-tempo songs that showcased a very heavy approach like on ‘Dragon’s Blood’. Something to notice is the weird, yet effective drumming style of Markus Hahn. Both guitar players have obviously improved a lot in their performance compared to the more sloppy debut album, and this time, I can feel more some sounds comparable to METALLICA and early ANTHRAX in a couple of songs, yet still played at a ferocious speed. Highlights of this album are many, as there is really no filler, with killer cuts like the opener and which gives title to the album or the more complex ‘Scattered By The Wind’ or the fantastic thrasher of ‘Mortal Dread’. Up to this day I do not know if it was done intentional, but the album starts with no mercy, with the songs slowly giving some rest, to again end in a very energetic form (yet not as fast, but energetic) with one of the best Thrash Metal instrumental songs in ‘The Undead Cry’. I can say now, that DEATHROW has an identity of their own in just their second album, which makes it hard to compare to other bands.  In spite of what I was listening in this album, I must say I was anxiously waiting for their third long play. I always thought DEATHROW was the one band that will be along the other ‘three’ big ones from German lands. Yet, the development and style shown on their next effort "Deception Ignored" was a big let down for fans like me of this jewel. A case of a German band that took more out of the American influence and failed. This new edition finally comes with all the lyrics (which are missing in the vinyl and tape editions) besides 4 extra tracks from their demo "Eternal Death" (when they were called SAMHAIN), the sound has been re.mastered for optimal audio pleasure, and it also contains the photo collage (which was quite common back in the days due to the vinyl size sleeves) and the full demo and album thanks lists. Now that it is quite hard to get this release in this original format, we all have a second chance to grab this great album in a great edition. As I said before, this is easily one of the best German Thrash Metal albums (yeah, in my view even better, more balanced and focused than many other German jewels) but by fate, it was destined to a rather obscure place. What happened later, I cannot comprehend, yet this legacy of Metal and steel is here as a mark of blood into eternity… www.displeasedrecords.com. Also available here.

Julian Nuñez

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DEICIDE
Scars Of The Crucifix
(Earache Records)
29:32min (CD)
76:07min (DVD)

This is a re-release of DEICIDE's "Scars Of The Crucifix" that originally saw the light of day in 2004. The CD comes in an additional slip case and also features a bonus DVD that offers a previously unreleased 12 track live show (40:37min) as well as the "Behind The Scars" documentary (35:30min) that was already featured on the "When London Burns" DVD from 2005. If I'd checked this release back then I could hop right away to the DVD. But I hadn't, 'cause for various reasons (one of them is LUCIFERION), I lost interest in DEICIDE after "Legion" so this one is fresh to my ears. Unprejudicity rules so here we go! First contact with the opening song 'Scars Of The Crucifix' gave me the impression that this was a Thrash Metal record. Especially productionwise. But as soon as the first blastbeat appears all doubt was blown away by the blind and razorsharp aggression this quartet is known for. No matter what box you put them in, this album shreds! Hyperaggression is packed in meldodies that are at times as catchy (or simple) as a childrensong. Just listen to the chorus in 'Mad At God'! No matter how hard this band tries to sell themselves - the music does the talking and if you're into brutality only, this is cool shit! Top notch musicianship combined with effective songwriting and mindblowing intensity! Glen's insane vocals actually ruined it and that's a shame because musically there's not much wrong. In the end it's just too much for me - (or too less?) - not to mention the lyrics! I rather dust off "World Ov Worms" (but that's just to give you a rough hint musicwise). Let's see if DEICIDE can pull this of live on stage - on to the DVD! It's recorded on December 22, 2003 in Nottingham (UK) and I was pleased to see that they can! Didn't expect that this at all and I must admit, it gave me an idea why they deserve their status. The live set is shot from various directions, with a great performance, good sound-quality and a setlist full of classics!! If you didn't have this one already and dig these sickos, this edition is a worthy purchase. More info about this album by the U2 of Death Metal: www.earache.com

Michael Tak

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DEMIGOD
Slumber Of Sullen Eyes
(Xtreem Music)
64:30min

History lesson, folks! Today’s topic: Finnish Death Metal from the early nineties. Who can name a few bands? FUNEBRE! – Excellent, Jarne, though you still have to work on the pronunciation, sounds like a gay cowboy to me. Another one? XYSMA! - Once again absolutely correct. But let’s hear it for the others as well. May I interrupt your fifth breakfast, Mr. Albrecht, and ask you? MORGOTH! - No, Mr. Albrecht, we were talking about Finnish bands, but I expected you to say that, since that’s everything you reply if anyone mentions the term Death Metal. Which is the main reason while you’re still sitting here, by the way. Anyway, onto Mr. Eck, who seems to find his ‘All-American Triple D-sluts’ rag far more interesting than our tiny little history lesson here. Can you name me some Finnish cult-acts? Ehm…ehm…Demi…, Demi… - Well Mr. Eck, although I have the slight suspicion that you’re still drooling about Mrs. Demi Moore stripping down in that stupid movie, there’s actually some strange truth to your answer since DEMILICH and DEMIGOD indeed were two important bands back then. Which brings us to the main topic of today’s lesson: the reissue of the classic “Slumber Of Sullen Eyes” album by DEMIGOD. What do you think are the main reasons that this is widely renounced as an absolute cult-item within the underground? Maybe due to the fact, that although being absolutely on par with the best Swedish acts around at the time, they never got the same attention as them. And their Death Metal was less melodic, but darker and grimmer. They avoided the typical ‘Sunlight sound, Seagrave cover’- clichés. Well, obviously most of you seem to have made their homework. But let’s not forget that this re-release by Spanish Xtreem Music also includes the tracks of the legendary “Unholy Domain” demotape. There are three songs on that, which didn’t make it to the album, among them ‘Reincarnation’, which was also covered by a German band – no, Mr. Albrecht, not MORGOTH but FLESHCRAWL some years ago. This demo has a much rawer and deeper sound which adds a lot to the morbid and eerie atmosphere of the music. So anyone who missed this classic in the past now finally has the opportunity to get it at a reasonable price. Ok, that’s it for now, next time we’ll be speaking about the early years of Indonesian Pagan Metal so be prepared! www.xtreemmusic.com

Torsten Gründig

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DEMILICH
Nespithe
(Century Media)
57:46min

This masterpiece was already recorded in 1992 and in my humble opinion it's one of most important European Death Metal albums of all times. DEMILICH played a very, very own and unique style and I can't name any band with a similar sound. The main trademarks are the ultra deep (but still naturally sounding) voice and the very unique riffing. The voice of Mr. Antti Boman definitely is much more brutal than any of those new school frog noise or gore grind clowns. This voice is Death Metal to the bone!!! The guitar work is remarkable and there are some really weird riffs and some fine leads. The production is amazing too and fits perfectly to the dark and obscure atmosphere. Although this recording was done more than a decade ago it still sounds damned powerful. DEMILICH delivered some unholy, well structured, semi-technical and brutal anthems of bizzare Death Metal. This is a Death Metal monument and definitely a must have!!! The first and original release of "Nespithe" was in 1993 by Necropolis Records, by the way, it was the first Necropolis release ever. Then it was re-released with a different cover artwork by Repulse Records back in 1996. Also included on this re-issue was the "The Four Instructive Tales... Of Decomposition" demo from 1991. This new version is identical with the Repulse CD, including the same artwork, booklet etc. and, of course, the  four bonus tracks. So if "Nespithe" is still not a part of your collection you definitely should get it now !!! Don't miss it this time!!! You order your copy here.

Hacker

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DEMOLITION HAMMER
Tortured Existence
(Century Media Records)
65:06min 

For any band to have written Thrash Metal of this caliber in 1990, as Death Metal was very nearly in full swing, is a startling achievement. DEMOLITION HAMMER are punishing, to say the least. This debut record of theirs easily schools a large percentage of the Thrash Metal of the time. It's not terribly difficult to paint a general picture of DEMOLITION HAMMER's music, for it is distinctly American. The band has cited SLAYER as an influence in the past, but the reality of it is that SLAYER are an influence to nearly every other band in existence, old and new, so using that as a viable angle of analysis is a bit droll. DEMOLITION HAMMER therefore, in addition to being SLAYER fans, were clearly admirers of their contemporaries like MALEVOLENT CREATION and SEPULTURA. The way each riff punishingly rolls around as if swung on a spiked flail are very characteristic of not only the two aforementioned bands, but of much of the Floridian scene as a whole. With such influences, the band's status as a Thrash Metal outfit are somewhat suspect. Like DARK ANGEL, the vocal work is very much a product of earlier years in sharp contrast to the music, which largely belongs to the Death Metal world, although there are sections that were written with Thrash in mind, certainly. Whatever DEMOLITION HAMMER were, it was intense. This re-release features five additional live tracks ('Hydrophobia', 'Infectious Hospital Waste', '.44 Caliber Brain Surgery', 'Neanderthal' and 'Crippling Velocity'). www.myspace.com/skullfracturingnecrology

Nat Shapiro

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DEMOLITION HAMMER
Epidemic Of Violence
(Century Media Records)
58:50min

Continuing where "Tortured Existence" left off, DEMOLITION HAMMER essentially wrote the same songs on "Epidemic Of Violence", but with an added injection of velocity and vitriol. Whereas "Tortured Existence" had a chunkier production sound, "Epidemic Of Violence" has a much more polished sound, almost like a well greased power saw. Once again, the songs are somewhere betwixt the gap separating Thrash from Death Metal. The drums are unforgiving, hardly letting up for more than a few seconds at a time for the screeching solos that herald yet another shift at a construction site gone horribly, horribly wrong. Not much changed vocally in the two years between "Epidemic Of Violence" and "Tortured Existence", which is fine although it does provide yet more material for the argument that DEMOLITION HAMMER were a Thrash band. In truth, with a band this pummeling, it should not really matter what genre of Metal they played, only that whatever Metal they did play was of the kind that beats on the eardrum as sure as Pete Sandoval does every gig with MORBID ANGEL. DEMOLITION HAMMER records are notoriously difficult to find these days, as are so many other forgotten gems. Century Media has finally made the first DEMOLITION HAMMER records widely available again. In addition to the record itself, the label has included 4 live tracks ('Mercenary Aggression', 'Cataclysm', 'Crippling Velocity' and 'Carnivorous Obsession') from the band's gigs in support of the album. Don't miss out! www.myspace.com/skullfracturingnecrology

Nat Shapiro

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DEMON
The Unexpected Guest
65:58min
The Plague (DoCD)
42:07min
40:35min
(Record Heaven Music)

Unlike a lot of useless re-issues that are circulating at the moment, here's finally some that really do make sense, as most of the classic DEMON albums are extremely hard to find these days. The Swedish label Record Heaven Music finally went for the opportunity and re-issued the band's first three outputs on CD recently. After I already got to hear two DEMON tracks on a compilation album in the early 80's I was so impressed by them that I immediately had to buy the first album of these NWOBHM veterans that crossed my path shortly after. That album turned out to be "The Unexpected Guest" and it not only lived up to my high expectations, it furthermore really turned me into a DEMON fan! Up to this day, I still consider "The Unexpected Guest" as the best DEMON record ever (next to "Taking The World By Storm"). The songwriting, the melody lines, the vocal delivery, the atmosphere - everything was perfectly balanced on here and from the opening tune 'Don't Break The Circle' until the album's closer 'Deliver Us From Evil' you won't find any single weak note on this little gem! All tracks could easily be considered classics and should be known (or better owned) by ever serious Metal maniac out there. The re-issue comes up with the original packaging, which means you not only get the weird pictures, but also all of the lyrics and four additional bonus tracks (remixes or outtake versions). Certainly a "must have" item! When "The Plague" originally came out, I was a little worried at first whether I would still like the band's direction or not as the whole white packaging looked rather strange to me at the time. But as the old DEMON logo still caught my interest and the vinyl version furthermore had a very deluxe packaging (gatefold sleeve with a book-like lyric sheet incorporated) I also decided to buy it. And I shouldn't regret it. DEMON were trying very hard to get rid off the "satanic" image with this release and ended up composing a slightly more melodic and also more progressive sounding record. Even though it took me a while to completely get into it, I started to like tracks like 'Blackheath' or 'The Plague' pretty quickly already. I discovered the album's real brilliance many years later and still enjoy it immensely when I listen to it today. This re-issue also comes up with the original packaging and even includes another disc with the original mix of the entire "The Plague" album, so if you missed it out previously, make sure to go for it now! Further info http://www.rhcd.net

Frank Stöver

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DERKETA
Goddess Of Death
(Necroharmonic Records)
52:23min

I usually like those demo / rehearsal / EP compilations including the entire discography of old and / or forgotten / underrated bands. And so I was quite excited when I heard that Roy from Necroharmonic was planning this DERKETA CD including an official rehearsal, the "The Unholy Ground" demo from 1990, the "Premature Burial" EP from 1991 and the "Begotten Son" EP from 1999. But in this case when I finally got the result in my hands it was a little bit of a disappointment. Although the recordings on this compilation are from different time periods they are all on the same level concerning the song writing abilities. And I have to admit that this is not a very high level. Yes of course, I know the oldest songs are from the late 80s and I have this in mind while listening to this CD but I also know that back then there were many bands that created more mature, more interesting and more ass-kicking Death Metal. It's strange cause I was familiar with the demo and the "Premature Burial" EP and I liked that stuff in the past. But I have to admit that I didn't listen to it for a long time and nowadays the DERKETA stuff really doesn't move me anymore. In my humble opinion this is rather uninspired, emotionless and totally unspectacular simple structured oldschool Death Metal with very poor and powerless sounding vocals. Don't get me wrong I love old fashioned Death Metal and I really love bands such as FUNERUS, FUNEBRARUM, EVISCIUM and of course old heroes such as ROTTREVORE, MORPHEUS DESCENDS, NUNSLAUGHTER, MYTHIC, GOREAPHOBIA, DR. SHRINKER but the material on "Goddess Of Death" bores me to death. Sad but true... Surprisingly the new songs are the weakest, the recordings from 1999 totally lack of any remarkable ideas, cool riffing or whatever. To be honest I'm not too curious for the announced DERKETA debut full-length "In Death We Meet", especially because of the rather poor new songs. Maybe I'm not the perfect person to review this CD and I can't blame the band for jumping on any wagon nor having the wrong attitude. This is pure and raw underground Death Metal without any trend or wimp influences and probably my words are way too harsh but DERKETA has not been able to show me their qualities. Label contact: www.necroharmonic.com

Hacker

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DESTROYER 666
Violence Is The Prince Of This World
(Modern Invasion Records)
48:30min

This re-release of DESTROYER's first album for Modern Invasion Records has been timed rather well considering the most positive plaudits heaped upon their current and third album "Phoenix Rising". And Modern Invasion are sure as hell going to make the most of it. Thankfully they have made it even more worthwhile by adding six tracks on to the original, in the shape of remixes and demo recordings from the time. Enough for any DESTROYER addict alone. However if you have just started your Antipodean journey with DESTROYER 666 with "Phoenix Rising" then "Violence Is The Prince Of This World" may come as something of a shock, owing far more to the more typical chaotic Aussie sound then the more slick and professionally melodic DESTROYER 666 of now. Meaning that "Violence Is The Prince Of This World" has more in common with SADISTIK EXEKUTION or BESTIAL WARLUST then anything else. It crashes and bashes and seethes in the typical Aussie way that could be called musically naive to many, but endearing to others. And I can see this being a worthy addition to many collections of Aussie chaos lovers around the globe. Yet for me, I reviewed this album when it came out and was less then complimentary to it and my opinion still stands... the production is weak and thin, the performance barely credible and the songs not even remotely up to the standards of today's DESTROYER 666. Yet there are those of us who have a soft spot for Aussie bands, who will claim I am missing the point and chances are that these people consider this and the second album "Unchain The Wolves" as the definitive DESTROYER 666, claiming they are now too polished and controlled. Personally I am unconcerned with the "more underground than thou" points scoring system and while I can see "Violence's" place within DESTROYER's underground evolution I do now, as I did then, find "Violence Is The Prince Of This World" simply not a very good album.

Alan Nemthanga

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DÉTENTE
History I
(Cognitive Records)
33:23min

DÉTENTE are no strangers to the 80s Metal scene. In fact, they received a generous amount of praise from both underground and mainstream press for their sole full-length “Recognize No Authority” released via (Metal Blade Records) in 1986. Afterwards, the band recorded a few more demos and called it quits. However, almost two decades after their split (and the death of vocalist Dawn Crosby in 1996 due to liver failure), the band decided to reform and release a compilation album of early demos simply titled “History I”. It contains the four tracks from their 1985 demo “Shattered Illusions” along with the two demos recorded by CATALEPSY…a band formed by ex-DÉTENTE members Ross Robinson, Caleb Quinn and Steve Hochheiser after being kicked out of the latter band (even though they themselves split up a couple years after their formation and their style being an exact replica of DÉTENTE’s which would explain their inclusion on this release). I honestly cannot tell the difference between the two bands because of how similar they are in sound. The music presented here is standard but good Thrash / Speed Metal but with nothing special about it at the same time. But what makes the music even less appealing are the vocals. I’ve never been a fan of the high-pitched, screeching, loud-as-fuck, “Painkiller” - era JUDAS PRIEST styled Power / Thrash / Speed Metal vocals that offers little variety and seems to dominate the music and leaves not much to enjoy by the end. It’s like an ice cream headache…you enjoy it at first (the riffs), but it’ll only be a matter of seconds before those waves of pain hit your brain hard (the vocals) and will discourage you from eating anymore until you’re once again in the mood for it. Overall, the music ranges anywhere from decent to good but isn’t anything essential that needs to be heard unless you’re a die-hard fan / collector of both bands’ material and / or the genre in general. Considering much of the Speed Metal scene had died and turned stagnant by the time of the bands’ formation (Power Metal started taking much of the genre’s thunder and popularity), it doesn’t come as a surprise to me that a band like DÉTENTE (and to a much lesser and almost insignificant degree CATALEPSY) garnered no more than a cult status in Metal and are often overlooked in favour of much more critically acclaimed bands like RUNNING WILD or the more modern HIBRIA. For further info: www.detenterna.com, www.myspace.com/detenterna

Edward Zangeneh

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DEVASTATION
Dispensible Bloodshed (3CD Boxset)
(Marquee Records)
170:51min

Dispensable is in the name, but indispensable is the game. DEVASTATION are an oft celebrated band of the old Death Metal scene. This boxset comprises of 3 single CDs that virtually contain everything DEVASTATION ever recorded, from the demos, to live recordings done in 1986 and 1987, and the previously unreleased full length, "Dispensable Bloodshed". The box comes with an additional sticker of the album artwork and a booklet with lots of old pics, flyers, lyrics, a band bio and thankslist plus short statements about DEVASTATION from respected scene veterans such as Jeff Becerra, Jonas Björler, Mitch Harris, Michael Amott, Fenriz and Johan Liiva (among others). Other bands of the time, such as IMPETIGO and DECEASED, were identifiably Death Metal bands, but they did, to some extent, sit in the middle of the bridge that connects Thrash and Death Metal. Ripping, is as good a description as any to clarify DEVASTATION's music. It's nasty, it's aggressive, it's Metal. The live tracks sound just as devastating, if you'll pardon the pun, as the demos. In fact, there's not much of a difference. Obviously, the give away is the roar of the crowd before and after the songs are played. DEVASTATION are no longer in business, and this boxed set is a pretty good indicator that will not be returning anytime soon. Collections like these are valuable reminders of the past. www.myspace.com/devastationchicago

Nat Shapiro

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DEVASTATION
Devastation Complete 1987-1989
(AreaDeath Productions)
77:49min

This is DEVASTATION from Croatia and out of all DEVASTATION's I've heard this is hands down the shittiest one. This release consists of 2 old demos ("The Upcoming Mayhem" and "The Possibility Of Life's Destruction") and a rehearsal, released between 1987 and 1989. The production is very primitive, it sounds as if recorded into a tape deck, but that's understandable bearing in mind where and when the whole shit was recorded. So what you get here is simple, punkish Speed / Thrash Metal, the musicianship is alright, nothing amazing or original, lots of useless solos, but the sound quality just kills the whole thing and why would anyone want to endure 78 minutes of this carnivale of crap is beyond me, but to each his own. www.myspace.com/devastationcro, http://adp.areadeath.net

Mindaugas "Plix" Lapinskas

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DEVOURMENT
1.3.8.
(Displeased Records)
49:52min

Boooooooooooooring... this time only one single word is enough to describe this CD: BORING!!! In my humble opinion this is one of the most superfluous releases ever... to be honest it's more superfluous than pimples on my ass... Why? Well, because the musical quality is not worth mentioning and because all recordings on this re-re-release have already seen the light of day for the third time. "1.3.8.", which stands for the number of tracks per release, contains the following recordings: The "1" song ('Babykiller') was already released on a Corpse Gristle label compilation and then re-released on "1.3.8." in 2000 on Corpse Gristle Records. The "3" songs were released in 1997 as the "Impaled" demo and then re-released on "1.3.8.". The "8" songs were released as the "Molesting The Decapitated" CD in 1999 and then re-released on "1.3.8.". In the meantime the 2000 release of "1.3.8." was sold out so Displeased Records decided to bring out this re-release. But without any new or re-recorded stuff just the old well known shit. So what's the reason for this re-re-release? Can't tell you... maybe it's to make some easy bucks because of the cult status DEVOURMENT has for some people, a status I've never understood. DEVOURMENT is a mediocre band and musically nothing but irrelevant. On the other hand DEVOURMENT is not the most extreme nor most brutal band ever... So what makes them so special? Perhaps it's because their vocalist was incarcerated some years... I don't know... but I guess this band sold more shirts than CDs... that's strange. Anyway, let's talk about the music. In my eyes DEVOURMENT is one of the most overrated bands on this doomed planet. Stupid talent free lyrical concept, powerless production, less than average song structures and very poor song writing abilities. A DEVOURMENT song consists of blastbeats (which are not that fast) and groovy (which are not that groovy) slam, mosh riffs... that's it. Believe me this bores you to death after a while. Oh, I forgot the vocals... they totally suck. I can't understand how one could think this lame, powerless, monotonous exhaling noise sounds brutal. I never was a friend of those lame frog noise vocalists. Hey, my little pussy cat definitely makes way more brutal noises while attacking the dog... Well, enough said, so don't waste your hard earned money cause as mentioned before this is boooooooooooooring... On sale here.

Hacker

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DIABOLIC
Supreme Evil
(The Plague / Hammerheart Rec.)
32:15min

"Supreme Evil" is (still) the one and only full length by these four longhaired maniacs (the excellent "City Of The Dead" MCD is just a re-issue of DIABOLIC's legendary demo with two bonus tracks) and features classy Florida Death Metal, totally uncompromising and brutal as fuck, with lots of intensity, MORBID ANGEL – like leads and an overall blasphemic approach. Apart from the rather unnecessary Black Metal parts in 'View With Abhorrence' and 'Wicked Inclination' this is pure and totally crushing Death Metal the way it was meant to be performed. Considering the short playing time of the album it's too bad that this re-issue doesn't feature the aforementioned MCD as a bonus, but at least it comes as a nice digipack now. To me, DIABOLIC is without any doubts one of the strongest representatives of the new generation of American Death Metal and a big hope for the years to come! You can order a copy here.

Frank Stöver

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DIABOLIC
Chaos In Hell / Possessed By Death
(Deathgasm Records)
24:21min

I was actually quite surprised when I received this release as I didn't know that Florida's DIABOLIC were still around... Somehow I must have lost track with them after the release of their last full length album "Infinity Through Purification", that already dates back to 2003… Well ok, the original band did split-up in September 2004, but went on as UNHOLY GHOST at the time. ¾ of the current DIABOLIC line-up already played on UNHOLY GHOST's one and only full length "Torrential Reign" (Aantar Lee Coates - drums, Paul Ouellette - bass/vocals and Kelly McLauchlin - lead guitars), while guitarist Jerry Mortellaro was replaced by RJ Reinagle now. The fact that these guys are using the DIABOLIC monicker again since 2006 probably indicates that Brian Malone's incarnation of DIABOLIC is no longer around (they had recorded the "Infinity Through Purification" album). Anyway, ever since their new start the band released two very impressive self-financed EPs ("Possessed By Death" in 2006 and "Chaos In Hell" in 2007), that Deathgasm Records has re-issued now on one single CD. The whole material was perfectly produced by Juan "Punchy" Gonzales (MORBID ANGEL, TERRORIZER, UNHOLY GHOST) and should easily please every fan of heavy blasting, Satanic Florida Death Metal in the vein of classic MORBID ANGEL (songstructures and a lot of the guitarwork) with some strong DEICIDE overtones (for the rather possessed sounding vocal delivery first and foremost). Especially if you already liked the previous DIABOLIC releases (or the UNHOLY GHOST full length) you certainly won't be disappointed by this one either. As a bonus you're getting a promotional video for the track 'Engulf The Enchantress', that more or less shows the band at their rehearsal space... A new DIABOLIC full length might be released in the not too distant future, as well as a debut album by BLASTMASTERS (yet another name for the members of the UNHOLY GHOST / DIABOLIC line-up). For more info and / ordering details check out www.deathgasm.com

Frank Stöver

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DISCIPLES OF MOCKERY
Prelude To Apocalypse
(Necroharmonic Records)
53:11min

This re-issue unfortunately is overshadowed by the current activities of mister Craig Pillard in another musical project, which I'm not going to mention here for it is too braindead to be true. Already back when "Prelude To Apocalypse" originally came out he got some negative attention because of some stupid interview statements he made... But instead of focusing on the musical side of things again unfortunately things got even worse these days. Of course the music on offer on this album is still totally great and recalls early INCANTATION pretty often (no surprise if you know that DISCIPLES OF MOCKERY is actually ¾ of the "Onward To Golgotha" line-up, without John McEntee), but the new packaging is nothing but petrol to the flames of negativity surrounding Pillard. Even though it turned out far more professional than the band's self-financed version (which was completely black with only the band's name and album title on it), the use of military stuff is not only completely overused these days, it also totally gives the whole subject an even more controversial attitude. And I'm not too fond on mixing Death Metal with those kinda elements at all anyway, so... Apart from that visual change, the re-issue features three highly interesting, previously unreleased bonus tracks ('Prelude To Absolution', 'An Endless Pursuit For A Satisfying Pain' and 'Literal Upheaval Of The Earth') which got recorded back on September 20, 1999. Musically they are along the same lines as the other DISCIPLES OF MOCKERY stuff, which means partly very doomy and apocalyptic and then again very crushing and brutal Death Metal. The sound is more rough than the actual album recordings and fits the band even better. So, if you focus on the music exclusively here – a fantastic album, which turned out even more exciting now because of the three additional tunes! Label contact: www.necroharmonic.com

Frank Stöver

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DISGRACE
Grey Misery
(Xtreem Music)
61:43min

The Finnish Death Metal underground of the early 90s gave birth to quite a lot of very promising acts... ABHORRENCE, FUNEBRE, XYSMA, AMORPHIS, CONVULSE, DEMIGOD, DISGRACE... are all wellknown names that underground people still remember these days. But unfortunately all of them either split up at a very early stage, changed their style quite drastically or both. Turka based fourpiece DISGRACE musically progressed (?) into a rather psychedelic, yet dirty rockin' direction, which never really appealed to me, so that I lost sight with them again rather quickly. But luckily there's still people out there today (like Spain's Xtreem Music) that remember the band's very brutal period so that we are all rewarded with a very cool compilation of DISGRACE's most impressive material now. As the title already reveals this is basically a re-issue of their classic 1992 debut album "Grey Misery", which used to come out back in those days (after a massive delay!) on a totally small and inexperienced French underground label by the name of Modern Primitive (a subdivsion of Intellectual Convulsion Records)... It got distributed and promoted very badly and packaged in an even more disgusting sleeve (a pink logo and titles aren't necessarily Death Metal!). But musically the ten tracks had a lot to offer. The sound was absolutely perfect (produced by a back then still very unknown guy named Timo Tolkki) – very raw and brutal, yet clear enough to reflect the band's big potentional! Well, ok - just like many other countries, also Finland was heavily inspired by the early CARCASS stuff and Finland's number one answer to UK's finest definitely was DISGRACE! In that respect, the shredding, lowtuned guitars, totally deep grunted vocals and all of the grinding elements obviously weren't original at all, but on the other hand still very cool to listen to. Same could already be said about two of their previous releases, which were luckily added as a bonus to this disc. The band's Seraphic Decay Records four-song 7" from 1991 and the "Into The Labyrinths Of Depression" demo from 1990 (which features original versions of four of the album cuts) are musically already in the same vein, maybe spiced a little bit more with some additional Swedish Death Metal overtones and therefore they reflect DISGRACE's musical evolution pretty good. Too bad that the packaging of this re-issue is also very simple (no real booklet, just a folded cover with only the covers of the releases and some liner notes by Luxi Lahtinen are included), but at least this classic album is officially available again - and in the end that's what matters the most, doesn't it?! www.xtreemmusic.com. Also on sale here.

Frank Stöver

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DISINCARNATE
Dreams Of The Carrion Kind
(Displeased Records)
62:36min

What should you write about a record that everybody knows and hopefully has at home in his collection already? This is the re-release of 1993's masterpiece of James Murphy's band, enhanced with the 3 tracks from their “Soul Erosion” demo from 1992. For those out there who didn’t know Disincarnate yet, it’s a classical oldschool Death Metal record with great riffing, excellent drumming and more excellent melodic solos by Mr. Murphy. It’s a great mixture of the bands that James played in before, like Death, Obituary and Cancer so you know what you get. I really get nostalgic feelings while listening to the songs. The 3 tracks from the demo, that I didn’t know before, are on the same level as the entire album. The production from Colin Richardson (it wasn’t his best) was remastered, and the booklet re-designed  (it includes liner notes from guys like Monte Conner, Joel Stroetzel (Killswitch Engage) and James Murphy himself now). So, if you are into oldschool Death Metal and shouldn’t already own this record yet, get this great re-release now. Hopefully James Murphy will be able to do another record sometime. For more info, check out www.displeasedrecords.com. It is on sale here.

Stefan Hagmayer

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DISSECTION
Dissected Tapes
(Ledo Takas Records)
35:00min

A band that suffered a too silent and too premature death is without any doubt DISSECTION (formerly NECROPSY) from Lithuania. Don't let this one pass you by for the simple fact this isn't the Swedish namesake! You'll miss something great like, let's say an European equivalent to GORGUTS. The re-release of this two demos showcast a level in technique, songwriting and catchiness that makes me grief for the demise of this act, which - as far as I know - happened because members went to other bands like OSSUARY, GHOSTORM and CONSCIOUS ROT. My hails go out to Ledo Takas Records for this compilation! The first part features the second demo "Pyramid Of Hate" from 1993. In 6 tracks plus a weird intro they perform a form of Death Metal that was quite popular in the USA and the Netherlands more than a decade ago; brutal, solid and technical without any overkill or too melodic. Played tight, convicing with great guitarsolos and a some cool catchy riffs. If you ask me these guys were ready for their first album on this one. Check the great 'Born To Die', with a cool IMMOLATION riff! The second part of this CD features their less technical first demo "Suffocating Syndrom" which is a bit darker and more straight forward. The tracks 'Abolition', 'Inferi' and 'Suffocation Syndrom' are cool songs and reminded me a bit of CONSCIOUS ROT (anybody knows their great "The Soil" demo?) and AUTOPSY for the vocals. DISSECTION was close to sign a deal with Cenotaph Records that released some great EPs for ROTTREVORE, GOREFEST, HUMAN REMAINS and UTUMNO so convinced now? To cut it short: DISSECTION didn't set new standards (or didn't get the chance to) but still was a great band in their short live and deserves to be honoured with this release! Don't know any price but make sure to contact www.myspace.com/ledotakasrecords or www.ledotakas.net for your copy or www.ferrum.lt for more info on the band.

Michael Tak

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DISSECTION
One Way Getaway (2CD)
(AreaDeath Productions)
125:21min

This is a little off topic way to start the review, but I need to get it off my chest: I hate when bands use the same name as other bands! Besides this little pet peeve, I was very impressed with “One Way Get Away” which was my first exposure to the Canadian Thrashers.  This is a deluxe digibook double CD, career spanning retrospective of the Canadian’s studio release and demos. Disk 1 has the bands 2 studio albums “Final Genocide" (1987) and “Garden Of Stone" (1992) while disk 2 contains the bands demo releases “Chainsaw Slaughter" (1986), “Black List" (1986) and the unreleased "Be Exploited Or Be Exterminated" (1987), all still recorded under their previous moniker GENOCIDE. The release is limited to 500 copies making it very appealing to all you collectors out there! The first thing that I noticed was how close the guys stay to the classic Bay Area sound, especially to ‘Kill 'Em All’ era METALLICA. While making my way through the 40 tracks on the two CDs I could have sworn I was listening to METALLICA’s debut at times! DISSECTED also appear to be quite heavily introduced by other classic thrash acts as KREATOR and VOIVOD. I listened to the 2 CDs in one sitting so it was really cool to see how the band refined their sound from their early demos to their studio releases. While their sound doesn’t drastically change throughout the tracks, they do appear to become more confident in their abilities and their chops noticeably improve throughout. However, over the 40 tracks, you do start to get a little disinterested as the majority of the songs seem to come from the same mold. While you may say this is true of any Thrash band, other bands such as SLAYER, who have followed the same format for 20 + years just do it in a way that never disappoints. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy reviewing “One Way Get Away”. I’m a huge Thrash fan and was very impressed with some of the riffs thrown out by guitarist Antisocial Zap (great name!) on songs such as in 'Deceiving Creatures', 'Morbid Meat' and 'New World'.  Before I forget, I would also like to say I loved the cover art of the clown laughing hysterically while brandishing a bloody chainsaw… very nice lads! While I did enjoy the majority of this release, I feel that this release would have been better off as a single CD “best of”, where the band could have shown off their 10/15 best tracks and given fans a great send off. 40 tracks is just too much and left this listener numbed to the material by the half way point. www.myspace.com/dissectiontm, www.areadeath.net

Norman McCann

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DIVINE EVE
Upon These Ashes Scorn The World
(Tarot Productions)
38:31min

Some bands were born to disappear at an early stage…and few of those bands are capable of having a legacy that will make an impact in the distant future. Well, that is the case for this Texans Death mongers. This is a collection of most of their material recorded, including their debut EP released by Nuclear Blast (in a very limited edition I am afraid), their apparitions in a few tribute compilations, and a never released EP. What makes this band to have such an underground cult status? That is easy: their style for the time to be. For an American band, they sounded way too Swedish (and here I am referring to NIHILIST, CARNAGE, GOD MACABRE and so on) and had a huge CELTIC FROST influence. Yes, their Death Metal was more based on the doomy heavy-pounding style, with a few short burst of speed to make it more interesting and powerful vocals (which always reminded me of GOD MACABRE or a more growling Tom G. Warrior). Besides a mandatory CELTIC FROST cover, there's also a SODOM cover (which I cannot see as a huge influence, but it is enjoyable anyway). The overall packaging is fantastic, including notes by band members, and they have done a very nice job at the sound, making everything sound even, although for a compilation it is obvious there's difference between the productions, but it went along really fine. It is that crunchy guitar sound that makes this to have an identity on their own, no matter how strong the influences were. This was a band that sounded powerful going mid-tempo or fast, and although most riffs will sound to you familiar (even back then) the way they were used, had a great result no headbanger could resist. On some historical aspects, after the recording of the unreleased EP and some few shows, the band divided and then the vocalist released what was supposed to be the debut album under the CRIMSON RELIC moniker, but with very poor sales (although very good music, worthy to track down). If you are into the early obscure Swedish Death Metal, or you worship CELTIC FROST this is not only an important piece of musical mysticism, but a way to pay tribute to a band that although short lived, created morbid Death Metal the way it should be. For Tarot (the label owned by Proscriptor of ABSU fame) a recognition for bringing this Metal which deserves to be heard. Essential. www.tarotproductions.com, www.myspace.com/divineeve

Julian Nuñez

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DOMINUS XUL
Nostrum Antiguos Dominus
(Corvus Discos)
68:01min

If you've read my DOMINUS XUL album review and interview long time ago you will already be aware of the fact that I totally worship these guys' work to the max! So, as you can probably imagine I got totally excited when I heard that Corvus Discos had released a compilation of the band's pre-album material. If you aren't aware of these Chilean Death Metal gods yet, you should simply imagine the best elements of old INCANTATION ("Onward To Golgotha") or IMMOLATION (demos and "Dawn Of Possession") and you'll already get a pretty good idea of how great these guys' music was: very effective, devastating riffing, a mixture of fast and doomy elements, a very deep grunted, yet very strong vocal delivery and a very occult overall atmosphere. Most of the material on this compilation was still released under their previous moniker DOMINUS (a band that rose out of the ashes of the two Chilean bands SADISTIC LEGION and GENOCIDE in 1991-1992). In detail that means their debut demo "The Occult Lords Of Torment", which came out in 1994 on Toxic Records, the promo rehearsal “Kur” from 1995 (which you get as a rough mix and direct studio mix on here) and the "Desencadenando Las Negras Profecías De Los Ancestros" EP (released by Deifer Records back in 1997), which is surprisingly featured with its English title "Unchaining The Ancient's Black Prophecies" on here. After the release of that EP the band changed their name into DOMINUS XUL and in 2000 they went on to unleash their incredible debut full length “The Primigeni Xul (I Condemned My Enemies)” on Picoroco Records. Unfortunately DOMINUS XUL already had to call its quits again in late 2000 because of the death of their singer Danny Grave, but it seems that they have reformed recently with members from (o.a.) TRIMEGISTO, MELEKTAUS and THORNAFIRE, so hopefully we will get another full length of them sometime soon! The sound quality of the material on this CD here is surprisingly good (if you consider that it already dates back to 1994 - 1997), while the black and white CD booklet turned out a little disappointing to me (all you get is a bio and thanks list, both written in Portuguese though, very little info on each recording and a little photo collage)… but in the end the music definitely makes up for that, so make sure to get yourself a copy of this! More info at www.myspace.com/dominusxuloficial. Ordering details you may find here: www.corvusdiscos.cl

Frank Stöver

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DOOMED
Doomed To Death And Damned In Hell 
(Aphelion Productions)
26:49min

This band was formed by Chris Reifert and Danny Coralles from AUTOPSY after they had split up, together with a killer vocalist / bassist Petri 'The Boogieman' Toivonen. And it could as easily be a missing AUTOPSY album with a different growler! There are 9 pummelingly fast, bowel moving mid-tempo and psychedelically agonizing slow Death Metal tracks with a huge splash of raw filth! This album is one of rare gems for all AUTOPSY and all its sick reincarnations' maniacs. Like me (the album actually is a compilation of the band's "Haematomania" and "Doomed" demos from 1992 / 1993, that both also got re-released as vinyl EPs later on, plus an additional live version of the track 'Witches' - Frank). So old school Death Metal punks, arise and BUY this album NOW OR DIE! www.aphelionproductions.net

Mindaugas Lapinskas

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DOOM SNAKE CULT
Love, Sorrow, Doom
(NWN!)
approx. 35min

From Bling Town, the land of Lost Wages comes DOOM SNAKE CULT. Like GOATLORD on LSD. Semi-technical but with suitably obscure production, this album was originally released by JL America back in 1993. It has a warm, mid-range thick sound with a definite psychadelic edge, making comparisons to PENTAGRAM inevitable. The Black Metal-ish vocals seem strangely appropriate. Its not the sort of release you 'get' on the first listen, in fact it will take several. I found it tends to grow on you fairly fast. The music could have used a few more "hooks," as some of the riffs are rather monotonous. The layout is up to NWN standards; thick sleeve, insert, and what is perhaps the most hideous coloured vinyl I've ever seen next to a bubble-gum pink vinyl version of VENOM's "Black Metal" many many years ago.

Charles Keller

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DRAWN AND QUARTERED
Crusaders Of Blasphemy (Tape Version)
(Ancient Spirit Terror)
32:04min

Being a CD addicted, I would of course have prefered to see "Crusaders Of Blasphemy" being re-issued on compact disc as well, but at the end of the day a tape version is still better than not having the featured material at all. Originally this used to be a five song promo CD, recorded at DRAWN AND QUARTERED's rehearsal space on an 8-track back in 2002, in order to present their new material to Moribund Records, who were pretty much interested to release a new album by the band (which they really did – as you all will certainly know - about a year later). But due to the fact that Seattle's finest Death Metal merchants were really satisfied with the result, they pressed a couple of additional copies and used to spread them around at their shows at the time. All of those copies are gone by now of course, but the guys at Germany's excellent Ancient Spirit Terror Zine simply couldn't live with that (just like myself) and decided to give this material a second chance. So, they gained themselves the rights to re-issue "Crusaders Of Blasphemy" on cassette with two additional, previously unreleased bonus tracks! But beware, it is once again limited (300 copies only!), so make sure to order your copy quick before it's too late again Just like their ABAZAGORATH tape release, also this one is nicely packaged, with a pro-printed black & white cover, even featuring the lyrics to both the exclusive tracks ('Bloodbath Communion' and 'Slaughter The Disciples'). Those two songs originally got recorded in 2003 for a split 7" EP that never came out, so even those die hards among you who already own the original promo CD should make sure to get a copy of this as well! If you've checked out the reviews on DRAWN AND QUARTERED's other releases somewhere else on our site (or even read the in-depth interview), you will of course already be aware of what to expect musically from these guys: blasphemous, brutal Death Metal in the vein of INCANTATION / IMMOLATION or older MORBID ANGEL, always performed with the necessary dark feel to it and highly impressive from start to finish! Within a very short period of time DRAWN AND QUARTED have turned into one of my personal all time Death Metal faves, which should easily speak for itself! So, this tape is definitely a must have item for every dedicated Death Metal worshipper around! It sells for 3 Euro / $, plus 1,44 Euro postage inside of Germany (ask for individual postage rates if you're ordering from other countries) at the following address: Vasili Vasilopoulus, P.O. Box 104108, 44041 Dortmund, Germany, email: ancientspiritterror@yahoo.de

Frank Stöver

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DR. SHRINKER
Grotesque Wedlock
(Necroharmonic Productions)
68:39min

I’m a kind of late-comer to extreme Metal, because I started to enjoy Death and Black Metal around ’94 / ’95, when the good days were just over and I was too young and too poor to buy all the cult stuff of that time. Especially bands, that released only one or more demos, but no official albums simply passed me by... But fortunately there is something like reissues, where old stuff is put on a CD along with plenty information about a classic band to enable a “youngster” like me to taste the spirit of the late 80s / early 90s at least a little bit. “Grotesque Wedlock” is such a ingenious creation, it compiles the sick US-Death / Thrashers’ 1989 demo “Wedding The Grotesque”, their 1990 Demo “The Eponym” and the 1988 Demo “Recognition”. So “Grotesque Wedlock” contains 19 raw songs, that were left completely unremastered and give an excellent impression of what makes demos so special, this bassy, uncompromising sound is simply unique. DR. SHRINKER remind me a bit of NECROPHAGIA or old SADUS sometimes, very possessed and maniacal vocals, fast thrashing riffs, pounding driving drums, well just the way it has be. Especially the twelve tracks of “Wedding The Grotesque” are absolutely fantastic, totally sickened Death / Thrash and are enough to make this CD worth buying. Only the two tracks taken from “The Eponym” are a bit weaker than the other material, but anyway, who likes to check out an ancient Death cult-band should not miss to buy “Grotesque Wedlock” and taste some original morbid sickness, that easily tops many of today’s releases!!! For buying information contact the label: www.necroharmonic.com or send 12$ (Europe) or 10$ (US) to the following address: Necroharmonic Productions, PO Box 1271, Kearney, New Jersey 07032, USA

Stefan Franke

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