PURTENANCE
Member Of Immortal Damnation
(Xtreem Music)
66:01min

I just need to pack up and move to Finland. I do. This American boy just needs to go where the music is. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any Finnish Metal band that doesn’t blow away the competition. Finnish Black Metal is pure aggressive blasphemy. And Finnish Death Metal… well, let PURTENANCE’s “Member Of Immortal Damnation” speak for itself. If you were around in 1992 when it was originally released, then you’re already aware of its classic old school Death Metal flavor. It helped usher in the style when bands were still finding their place in the scene. But while bands like MORBID were “La la la-ing” their way through their songs, PURTENANCE were leaving a destructive path of demolition through theirs. ‘Black Vision’ is a doomy, plodding track that leads to the more active ‘Deep Blue Darkness’. Throughout the album, the band doesn’t sway from their mission. There’s machine-gun drums and miasmic guitars in ‘The Lost Memories’, as ‘A Dark Cloud Arises’ swirls and immobilizes in its fury. But do we really need a description of every song? Of course not. Many of us are quite familiar with this album already. And for those too young to have experienced this when it was new, just know that every song fits perfectly with the next. Other than a short interlude in the middle, the album kicks ass from beginning to end. But it doesn’t stop there. This release also includes the three-song “Crown Waits The Immortal” 7″ EP from 1991 with ‘Apparition Of The Mist’, a monolithic track showing their power before their first album ever came out. And… the four-track “Purtenance Avulsion” demo from 1991 is also included. ‘Necropsy Of Festering Body’ is a little sloppily produced, but that’s sort of the charm of it. Hearing the rawness of the drum mix along with the fuzzy guitar sound is quite appealing. ‘Cannibal Souls’ wraps it all up in an almost agitated and intense delivery that leaves me completely satisfied with this release. While the band’s been slow in their releasing of new music, with only four full lengths since 1992, that’s okay. Because what they have left us within that time is pure Death Metal at its finest. For more info, check out www.facebook.com/purtenance, www.xtreemmusic.com

David Simonton

David Simonton

PURTENANCE
Member Of Immortal Damnation
(Xtreem Music)
66:01min

Anybody who knows a little bit about Finnish Death Metal should have this album by short-lived act PURTENANCE in his collection – either as the original release on Drowned Productions (1992) or the ’09 The Crypt vinyl version. Now, Xtreem Music have done a proper CD re-release, just like they did for FUNEBRE, DEMIGOD as well and “Member Of Immortal Damnation” now also features the three tracks from the “Crown Waits The Immortal” EP plus the demo from ’91 originally released when PURTENANCE still had the AVULSION in their band name. While I never considered PURTENANCE as fantastic as DEMIGOD, CONVULSE, FUNEBRE, early SENTENCED, DEMILICH it’s still mandatory stuff for all you old school lunatics out there as it is simply wrong to not have it. Even now, tracks like the dramatic ‘Black Vision’ (the guitar melodies and the growl at 3:47 are still pure gold!), ‘A Dark Cloud Rises’ or ‘The Lost Memories’ never fail to do the trick and apart from some sick melodies PURTENANCE had a straight forward aggressiveness to offer that made them differ from their contemporaries. Though the latter had better productions back then compared to PURTENANCE, this remastered version sounds fine, remains true to the original and even the EP and demo songs come across great. If you don’t know the band – check it out on the net and then buy this – if you know the band you’ll buy it anyways, hehe! Just as a little tip for everybody, Xtreem Music has a killer old school compilation online to commemorate its 10th anniversary, download it for free at the link below and put some decent shit on your ipod: www.xtreemmusic.com/compilation/, www.xtreemmusic.com, www.myspace.com/purtenance

Stefan Franke

Stefan Franke

Related reviews / interviews:
PURTENANCE - Paradox Of Existence (Julián “Nekro Orgy” Núñez)
PURTENANCE - ...To Spread The Flame Of Ancients (Carsten Lomme)
PURTENANCE - Awaken From Slumber (Michael Oelschlegel)
PURTENANCE - Sacrifice The King (Thomas Meyer)
PURTENANCE - Sacrifice The King (Michael Oelschlegel)

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