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Saturday, February 4, 2012

Maelstrom (Ita) - Sospiria, Lacrima: Tenebra (1996)


Genre: Atmospheric Doom/Death Metal
Country: Italy
Year: 1996

1. ...And Sorrow
2. Useless Tears
3. Abyss of Hypocrisy
4. In My Last Letter

Download at Mediafire
Metal Archives
Last.fm

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Wow. Now this is a demo. I didn't expect this sort of quality to come out of Italy, especially of such a unique style. This is Doom/Death with heavy emphasis on a more sorrowful doom. Almost droning with its entrancing melodies and depressive soundscapes, I'm drifting along in a sea of melancholy. And then the soft female vocals burst out from the doom n' gloom, but slowly settling back in as the male harsh rasping vocals slide in. High amount of distortion, this only adds to the doom, creating confusion (but not chaos).

Probably the most redeeming feature of this astounding demo is the brilliant acoustic style. Scattered about every song lie beautiful acoustic interludes, often accompanied by pianos. Very original, especially in Death Metal, and they complement the female vocals oh so well. Adding to the atmosphere are the pounding, echoing drums, reverberating all throughout, almost sounding like the demo was recorded in some vast open expanse.

I don't know who Maelstrom were, or why they split so soon, but this is most certainly a hidden gem in every sense of the word. Recommended.

6 comments:

  1. I live for finds like this!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. My Death-Doom metal band has uploaded a full CD for free here:
    http://novafile.com/ifp9op27r6rf

    Check it out! We would love to spread our music. A few likes on Facebook would be great!

    Description
    Plenty of Nails - Schicksal (2010) (EP)

    Origin: Germany
    Genre: Death-Doom Metal
    Homepage: www.plentyofnails.de
    Facebook: www.facebook.com/plentyofnails

    Bitrate: 320 kbps mp3
    Size: 45 MB
    Booklet: Yes

    Tracklist:

    1. Der Blutsturm - 8:54
    2. Euer Heiland - 4:32
    3. Der Weltuntergang 7:14

    ReplyDelete
  3. Downloading this. Hope it is a gem as you referred.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Definitely an unpolished raw gem.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This little demo contains the most beutiful and sad pieces of music that I´ve heard, I love so much, thanks for sharing friend I really like it

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is an incredible find. Thanks so much.

    ReplyDelete