When the name ANASARCA appeared on the VFTD mailing list I was immediately alerted. Could it be possible? That a band responsible for three excellent Death Metal albums in the period from 1998 to 2004 being back after a delay of eleven years? A band responsible for "Moribund", one of the best German Death Metal albums after the turn of the century? Yes, it is the comeback of ANASARCA from Emden, Germany. Comebacks and reunions are generally some kind of ambivalent affair. Quite a few bands ruined their reputation by releasing premature and weak music, so I was little worried about this four-track demo. But my anxiousness quickly turned into enthusiasm. The CD starts with an unnecessary intro, the first track ‘Survival Mode’ is a mid-tempo crusher, milling the listener to little pieces. If you ever asked yourself why Death Metal has all this lyrics associated with war, brutality, gore and horror you will find the answer here. Brutal music needs brutal lyrics. The other three songs are on the same level, mixing fast and slower parts, without any kind of gimcrackery or gaudy trash. Death Metal reduced to its core and since the simplest things are often the best, everyone dedicated to this kind of Death Metal must support ANASARCA. Not to forget, it is by no means easy to play this reduced style, because if you do not have tons of riffs and breaks every little detail has to be perfect. Except for the dull intro there is no idle running, the songs are worked out to the last detail. During the past days I have been listening to the four tracks dozens of times and it is still pure enjoyment. www.facebook.com/anasarcadeathmetal