If you still think of Elvis Presley when you hear Memphis, Tennessee, you should immediately change that. RITUAL DECAY are also from that famous town and they are not playing Rock’n’Roll, nor Country or anything like that. They are Black Metal. Pretty pure, old fashioned Black Metal to be more precise. And they are a fine representative of the genre as well, since the musical roots of this three-piece are very Scandinavian, especially Swedish. More than once, I thought of the first album of THE ABYSS, sometimes of very early DISSECTION. But these names are just a hint on what the first demo of RITUAL DECAY has to offer. Five outbreaks of Black Metal rage, spiced with lots of breaks, slower parts and a special spirit somewhere between ice cold and ear charming. From the first seconds of the opening ‘Reach For The Axe’, RITUAL DECAY show where the rubber meets the road. Even though three of the five songs here are rather long (seven minutes and more), there’s no moment of boredom, for the tension is always high, thanks to the well placed breaks and the subtle charm of slight tempo and melody line changes. And in the end, the title track turns out to be the highlight, with slowed down speed and increased viciousness. What I nearly like most about "The Conquering Darkness" is the raw and sometimes pretty harsh production, that reminds me of the spirit the old Black Metal bands represented in the early 1990s. No overproduction, no frills, no shit! If RITUAL DECAY continue on this course, we might expect great things to come from their side. This tape was released by the always busy and dedicated Caligari Records, and as usual, they did a very good job. Limited to 100 copies, professional printed folders and an extra sticker are more convincing reasons to check this tape out. And of course there is the fine music of RITUAL DECAY as the strongest argument. Hansel definitely has a good taste and a good nose for fine music. More RITUAL DECAY at www.facebook.com/pages/ritual-decay/101489656624081 or http://ritualdecay.bandcamp.com. And never forget to visit: www.caligarirecords.com