Ahrimah - Ain Soph Aur (1994)

Genre: Progressive/Avant-Garde Death Metal
Country: Poland
Year: 1994

1. Hazmanah Or Zarna (Introduction)
2. De Carne Christi
3. Azagthoth
4. Pain Of Recognition
5. Veni Creator Spiritus
6. Euronymous
7. First Thing First...
8. Rite Of Heliogabal/Heliogabal Conquest of Paradise (Outroduction)

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This demo is freakin' awesome. Been on heavy rotation for the past couple weeks and for good reason! At a long and involving 30 minutes, there is no skimping on material here, and what's even more amazing is that every song has its own identity? None of this blurs together into one long mess of a song, but each track has its own quirks and unique aura that completely destroys other demos at the time. Seriously, this is something special in that it contains everything you could ever want in "eclectic" Death Metal, and I might even go as far as to label this Progressive, or even Avant-Garde!

The first song is when it hits you, when this bizarre Middle-Eastern melody springs out of nowhere, and immediately I check Metal Archives to see what Middle-Eastern country they're from and then I see they hail from Poland! What!? The odd experimentation leaps and bounds its way all throughout Ain Soph Aur, with strange jazzy parts, soothing instrumental interludes, crazy riffs, slow doomy and upbeat thrashy parts, rad bass lines, spacey psychedelic sections, atmospheric palm-muted bits, holy shit the list goes on! If you were to listen to one song, go for "Pain of Recognition".

And the vocals! Not your typical death grunt/growl, these are more in beat with the instrumentation and sound like they almost groove to the music at parts, while spoken words pop up here and there on a couple tracks, creating one hell of a fun and enjoyable atmosphere.

I can't possibly recommend this enough!

Doom Formation - Definition of EVIL (1995)

Genre: (Brutal) Death Metal
Country: USA
Year: 1995

1. The Ways Of The Dead
2. Visions Of Ungodly Dreams
3. Morbid Catastrophic Fear
4. Gleuben EVIL

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I don't know anything about this band, or even where I came across this recording... but I thought I'd throw this out to the internet world. Doom Formation only released this single demo in 1995, and then split up, although they appear to have a Myspace, even though it's not listed on MA and seems a little suspicious, evidence suggests there was another split or album in the works. You can listen to another song there.

On to the music. Pretty straightforward, in your face death metal with touches in grind and brutal territory, most notably in the blasting and vocal style. Very professional sounding, and the riffs are tight and well-crafted. Neat little demo from a time lost ages ago!

Nyarlathotep - Slub Lorth in Eternal Rest (2001)

Note: Artwork unavailable

Genre: Funeral Doom/Death Metal
Country: USA
Year: 2001

1. An Empire Destined To Crumble
2. Birth of Gol

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Very little is known about Nyarlathotep, except that it was a side project of the fellows from The Red Chord and that they changed their name to Stomach Earth.

However, they managed to release a two-song demo back in 2001, and my socks were blown off at first listen. Playing Funeral Death/Doom in the vein of greats such as Evoken and Catacombs, this is a real treat on the ears. Often utilizing keyboards, I get the overwhelming sense of impending doom and that the walls of my sanity are collapsing beneath me. Fantastic atmosphere, and a really gripping release, all the way through, even though their style of music is painfully slow-paced. The first track is a little more orthodox in the style, rarely incorporating strange elements, but then the second song knocks down all boundaries and all hell breaks loose. Keyboards come out blazing from the very beginning, and the deep guttural vocals just rip you to shreds. Then, a little more than halfway into the song, some crazy Avant-Garde shit is employed and you start wondering where the hell this is going next! I even heard a violin and a flute. Bizarre stuff, but totally up my alley. Tremendous and highly recommended. I could see myself listening to this over and over again.

Eructation - Demo 1992 (1992)

Genre: Death Metal
Country: Sweden
Year: 1992

1. Day of Confusion
2. Foul Feast
3. Consider to Die

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Whoa. Okay. This is probably the best demo from 1992. Everything about Eructation's Demo 1992 is absolutely perfect. Swedish brilliance of the highest degree.

The first thing you'll notice when listening is that the production is flawless. Very clean and full-sounding for a one-demo band, having released this mere demo way back in '92. All the instruments can be clearly heard, and it seems each and every part of this band gets their shot in the limelight throughout the course of this short demo. The guitars are the main highlight with their superb riffing. As you may already know, a lot of old school DM focus on the art of the riff, but Eructation take it to a whole new level (well, at the time). It seems like the basic foundation is built upon addictive riffs and very powerful, energetic hooks. Upon first listen, my mouth dropped open out of sheer disbelief. It just didn't add up, but here it is, destroying my ears as I post.

The bass player also gets his chance at some glory, especially toward the end of "Day of Confusion". He really goes wild with some fantastic bass..ing. In addition to these unheard-of techniques back in 1992, there are quite a few bizarre chunks to the demo. Mostly in the first song, there are these weird robot-like clean spoken vocals and during "Foul Feast", we're hit with this WTF sound effect. Just listen to this shit; my words don't do it justice.

Recommended to the highest degree.

RIFFS

Korsakov - Hangover Heroes (1989)

Genre: Death/Thrash Metal
Country: Netherlands
Year: 1989

1. Criptic Sin
2. Hangover Heroes
3. Disgustor
4. Ripping Silence
5. Korsakov
6. Before Beer
7. Doomsday Messiah

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I had been meaning to post these demos for some time now, but since they were brought up in the shoutbox, may as well do it now! However, I only have the first two demos...

Korsakov embody what it means to play Death/Thrash. Hell, in their official logo, the word "DEATHRASH" is imprinted in the corner, and they certainly do it well! Very heavy and dirty with the production, this is some furious music. Often keeping up the pace, even during the times where it seems like the song should be slower, you can be sure that the assault on your ears coming from this band will not disappoint. Very thrashy riffs, these guys are having fun playing this awesome music, and that make the demo that much more enjoyable. The vocals fit very well with the music; they're not growls or yells, but in between. A very slobbery-sounding style that complements the gritty production.

Korsakov - Radiation Exposure (1991)

Genre: Death/Thrash Metal
Country: Netherlands
Year: 1991

1. Merryscary (Intro)
2. Worldwar Thirdteen
3. Burning Corpses
4. Sanctified Mears
5. City At War
6. Procreate Doom
7. Charred Remains (Cover Gods Autopsy)

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The second demo from the Holland deathrashers is slightly different in style when compared to their debut. It's largely more tame and seems to be slowed down a little, especially on "Burning Corpse". It actually gets to be a little doomy at parts! Still, the quick riffs are there and the general evil vibe is still present. Oh, they keep it fun as well. Just listen to the intro and you'll see that these guys are all laughs, out there to make awesome music for awesome people (you and me).

Production is bumped up a few notches, and doesn't sound as dirty. Actually leans more towards a thrash album than anything. The vocal craft has been perfected as well, and the vocalist sounds just like Autopsy! There's a reason to grab this!

If anybody can hook me up with their third demo "Prolong the Agony", it would be greatly appreciated!

EDIT: I have acquired the third demo; will post soon.

Broken Fear - Beyond The... (1991)

Genre: Death Metal
Country: France
Year: 1991

1. Nuclear Factories Fonction
2. Hunting Horror
3. Trapped

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Broken Fear were an incredibly unknown Death Metal band coming out of the bowels of France, during the time that their counterparts in Sweden were flourishing. So far, this is the only release from this band that has surfaced, and I am still looking for any of their other work. Anybody with information please contact me!

"Mystic" and "enigmatic" are two words that I think properly describe a release such as this. Simply listen to the first track "Nuclear Factories Fonction" and tell me you don't see the machinations of a unique band trying (and succeeding) to define itself through use of sometimes spooky, calm, ambient sections like the intro and outro of that song, helping to build enormous atmosphere and tension within the music. This general quality to the music, coupled with the fact that they're so obscure makes this a rather mysterious releas, and I'm often lost in thought wondering what happened to this band, as the potential they harnessed was immense.

The vocals are another highlight of this demo; we find several styles, with the most predominant being a dirty growl/rasp that cuts right through you, very much like Swedish guitars do. Fits very well with the fuzzy production, giving Beyond The... a rather evil and demonic sound. Also included are eerie whispers, complementing the atmosphere, and shrill, anxious shrieks, making your heart beat faster and faster. Very well done.

Often slower-paced with some doomy sections, this is a heavy and miserable-sounding demo. Even when the band is playing at full-force, the production and guitars still give it that sludgy sound, making for great contrast. Apocalyptic, buzzy riffs are thrown in here and there, especially noticeable in the last song, "Trapped". Quality Death Metal, and highly recommended to those who enjoy unique-sounding OSDM with their own style. I'm impressed.

Cemetery Earth - Here Rest Remains From Centuries of Demise (1992)

Genre: Death Metal
Country: USA
Year: 1992

1. Slow Inevitable Decrepus
2. Mortuary Science
3. The Plight of Cartaphyllis
4. Tormented by Apparitions

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Metal Archives
Last.fm

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First post in a week, and I apologize for that, but allow me to make it up to you by introducing you all to something that is relatively obscure and unknown to a lot of people.

I always find great interest in little bands that never managed to make it past the demo stages, especially those who only released a single demo. Recorded in 1992, and out of the US (!), this band didn't gain much attention at all. Even after a name change to Mourn Thy Passing, nothing changed. If anything, they became even more unknown, because as far as I can tell, nothing ever resulted from this new band.

Anyway, onto the demo itself. This is raw, dirty, and gritty death metal; a perfect representation of the pinnacle of old school death metal. The production is just shoddy enough to allow for that messy feel, but also keeping the musical instrumentation intact. Nothing is overly sloppy or chaotic, and a very controlled demo for its sound. Often traversing in doom territory, we're hit with suberb and lively riffs that help break up the gloomy atmosphere (the name is partly responsible for that). Plus, the intro and outro are just too cool. Recommended!