Misericordia (Rus) - The Microbiological Revolution (1996)

Genre: Technical Death/Thrash Metal
Country: Russia
Year: 1996

1. The Microbiological Revolution
2. Acetone
3. The Intrauterine Suicide
4. My Dream
5. Post-Alcoholic Depression
6. The Subjugation Of Reason
7. Epilogue

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Microbiological Revolution, eh? That's some pretty heavy stuff (for a death metal band!); definitely worth a look. The complex song titles also seemed a bit out of the ordinary, drawing me even closer to what is the definition of a "hidden gem". My preconceptions were spot-on; this is one hell of a damn impressive demo, far ahead of its time, displaying a technical prowess unlike the rest of whence it spawned.

It was hard to put my finger on it at first, but the more I listened, the more the music screamed at me... "DEATH". There is an uncanny similarity to later Death, specifically The Sound Of Perseverance. But hold the phone--wasn't that released after The Microbiological Revolution? Oh shit.

What really struck me was the intensity and strength of the song structures. The whole demo weaves together spectacularly, combining Thrash elements with fast-paced passages ripping with technical riffs and Death-esque guitar solos, but also slows down to a more classic OSDM plodding when appropriate. Fantastic incorporation of ambient/atmospheric overtones saturating the already deep and penetrating grip this demo has on you. Vocals are nothing special, but solid old school growls. In fact, I wouldn't ask for anything else with this style of music. They are actually set a little further back in the mix, which was a good choice to allow the instrumentation a chance to shine, accentuating the technical brilliance these Russians present.

Yet another top-notch release from Mortal Dreams Productions... Recommended.

Carcaroht - Floating Souls (1994)

Genre: Death Metal
Country: Sweden
Year: 1994

1. Intro/As The Gates Fall
2. I Precide To A New Existence
3. Untitled

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Here is the final release from Carcaroht, a repackaged Promo 94. This is the same thing, yet the production value is much higher. This has a very clean and clear sound, eliminating the muddiness and chaos from the promo. It's amazing how much better this sounds; they must've had a few bucks leftover.

Not entirely sure why this project didn't continue. It seemed like that with the quality of both the music and production, these guys would at least have an album in them, but I suppose they had bigger and better things to do. If you want to hear a little more about the music itself, just check out the Promo 94 post, linked above. Enjoy this one, but remember, if you want something with a little more grit, go for the promo!

Carcaroht - Promo 94 (1994)

Genre: Death Metal
Country: Sweden
Year: 1994

1. Intro
2. As The Gates Fall
3. I Precide To A New Existence
4. Untitled

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More than two years ago I promised to post this promo... haha. But hey, I'm good on my word! It's just a matter of when. Anyway, there seems to be a bit of confusion surrounding this promo. They released another demo in 1994 entitled Floating Souls that appears to be the same thing as this demo. They are actually different recordings, it's just that Floating Souls is better produced. This promo has a much fuller and heavier sound than the tinny Floating Souls, making this my release of preference. However, if you're looking for some production in your OSDM (ew), you'll want to head over to Floating Souls.

As previously mentioned, this is a very good-sounding demo, considering their relative obscurity. All members went on to participate in a fuckload of other bands, so I suppose this can be considered the guinea pig experiment that showcases their potential and skill. That's not to say you won't be blown away by this promo. It has a very full and suffocating sound, with fast and furious riffing in its most raw form. Solos are used to great effect, parting the dark stormclouds and letting in that ray of piercing light. "Untitled" holds a particularly powerful solo.

I'll post Floating Souls as well.

Goregod - Apocalypse Now (1996)

Genre: Avant-Garde Industrial Death Metal
Country: Russia
Year: 1996

1. Funeral Song
2. The Darkest Side of Reality
3. Mourne Country
4. Apocalypse Now
5. Dark Is the Future
6. 10000 Maimed Corpses
7. We Must Find a Way
8. Suprised Song
9. Warchaos

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More of the same from these crazy fuckers. Somebody heard their wacko demo and thought it would be a great idea to sign them to a label (Mortal Dreams Productions). Fortunately, I know the guy responsible for this, so I'm just busting balls now. That said, this isn't a bad album! A bit on the unique side, but to the point where it's refreshing. The more I listen, the more it grows on me. Pretty sure I'm at the point where I like it!

It's a bit tamer than the demo, and with a much more holistic sound (thicker guitar tone, actual song structure, etc.). Very synth heavy and there's more of the industrial sound with some psychedelic elements, too. There is quite a range of styles all over this album. You've got your up-front, fast-paced Death Metal with the title track, a more chill and psychedelic approach with "We Must Find A Way", and probably my favorite track, "Darkest Side of Reality", which boasts an industrial, almost videogame-esque main riff. The same range of vocals is still present, and used quite well to create a thrilling listening experience that will keep you guessing what the hell will happen next.

Yurra Serov (the Mortal Dreams Productions guy of Different Seasons fame) is the reason I know about this band (and a few future posts), and he shared what I thought was one hell of a crazy story:

James A. Magda (AKA Jamz), the frontman had found himself in an interesting position at the time of this album's release. Right as Serov and Mortal Dreams Productions had made all the arrangements for the release of Apocalypse Now, and were about to print and distribute the album, Jamz's wife wrote, informing them that Jamz was dead. Killed in a fight, apparently. Get this, though... she also sent, along with the letter, the last song he recorded, entitled... "Make Me Dead". Holy shit.

Goregod - The Human Abstract (1994)

Genre: Avant-Garde Industrial Death Metal
Country: Russia
Year: 1994

1. Pukes by Blood
2. The Human Abstract
3. World Is Shit
4. Sex Brutal Sex
5. White Is Right

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This... this is something a little different that some of you might not exactly enjoy. Still, I found it to be quite interesting and it's not exactly "available", so I thought it couldn't hurt to post.

The demo opens with what sounds like a dark, twisted... jaw harp. That's right. A jaw harp. If you're looking for creativity in OSDM, the Russian Goregod "fits" the bill. The guitars are borderline acoustic-sounding and have a very unique "steely" kind of sound whose strums remind me of the music in horror movies, victims running wildly at top speed down endless, poorly lit, metallic hallways. The drums drive a lot of the tempo, yet somehow feel disconnected from the rest of the music. You'll find a multitude of vocals here, ranging from sputtering snarling to spoken word to commanding PA system authoritativeness.

This'll leave you with a nice "whatthefuckdidijustlistento" feeling!

Gruel - Gruel (2005)

Genre: Death Metal
Country: Sweden
Year: 2005

1. Corporeal Flesh Consume
2. Awaiting the Massacre
3. Cursed Desert Sand

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Metal Archives Rating: 88% (2 reviews)
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Credit to FeatherOfHuginn for turning me onto this gem shrouded in... obscurity? Point is, not enough people know about this, so here's my good-natured attempt at showing you all the light (er, dark).

The first thing that struck me was the top-notch recording quality. Who are these Swedish guys? I'm convinced this has to be some sort of side project of somebody or something, since most bedroom bands have less than desirable sound quality. Speculations aside, the material presented in these short 12 minutes simply oozes potential... certainly a direction any death metal band would be proud to embark upon.

The vocals stand out particularly, alternating between your classic death gutturals and a more demonic, gnashing angry growl, both of which meld beautifully with the skillful and aggressive guitars. Very riff-oriented, so if you like your death metal thick and engaging, with a guitar tone to die for, look no further... that is, until this quick demo ends...

Funeral Revolt - Γαία Υπερφιάλων Αθεμιστών (1994)

Genre: Death Metal
Country: Greece
Year: 1994

1. Γαία Υπερφιάλων Αθεμιστών

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Christos from Sanctorum sent me this exquisite promo demo years ago, and I see he has now posted it on Youtube, but I figured it could do with an "official" blog release! This is the original mp3, not that compressed Youtube crap (first guy who tells me mp3s are compressed gets my foot up their ass); this track deserves it!

Mind. Blown. Quite possibly one of my favorite songs with perhaps the most infectious Hellenic riff my ears have ever had the good fortune of absorbing. As the years passed, Funeral Revolt has dropped the dark, filthy sludgy guitar tone in favor of something with a little more vitality and vigor. It all comes together in this tiny demo released at the end of the first phase of Funeral Revolt, unfortunately.

From the beginning to the all-too-soon ending (even though the song is a solid 6 minutes long), the main riff will hold you to the edge of your seat, gripping your musical palate so tightly, you'll find yourself unable to do much of anything until the song has finished. I actually had to stop listening to this song long enough to write this review, as I would keep getting lost in the music and zoning out. Ripping double bass brings out the intensity of the riff at times, while female vocals rain down beauty, with tasteful solos the glue that brings it all together into a tight little package bursting at the seams that'll leave anyone begging for more... sadly it won't come.

Enjoy this one, folks. You'll get quite some replay value from this gem. Recommended.

Funeral Revolt - Burial (1991)

Genre: Death Metal
Country: Greece
Year: 1991

1. Burial
2. Fly Beyond
3. Lamentation
4. Concealment of Truth
5. Solitude

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I figured the best place to begin again would be precisely where I left off, so here we have another EP from the dynamic Funeral Revolt! To those who have been following this blog for the past year (ololol), you've listened to Brutality Domain. That was a very gritty, dirty-sounding demo, and Funeral Revolt have cleaned up their act rapidly (two drastically different sounding demos in one year?) with their latest offering.

The first thing that struck me was how well the first three tracks meshed together. Hell, this could have been a short and sweet EP with just those songs and you wouldn't find me complaining. I'll treat the other two as an added bonus! "Burial" starts off as an eerie, synthetic dark ambient track that I'll refer to as the "inhale". The "exhale" comes with "Lamentation", the perfect acoustic closing act to the expansive and powerful "Fly Beyond".

The entire demo is very riff-heavy, and you can begin to see the roots of Funeral Revolt's embrace of the distinct Hellenic riffing style. Synths are used much more on this release, leading to an atmospheric and ancient-sounding aura, clashing surprisingly well with the guttural destruction inherent in all Death Metal. I get the vibe of controlled chaos (if that even makes sense) throughout this release, every song flitting on the edge of pandemonium, yet somehow confined in the boundaries of order through methodical solos and pinpoint drumming.

Pleasantly surprised, considering the previous demo's style. Recommended.

Resurrected

Well, shit. I'm back. Hopefully to stay!

First things first, just wanted to apologize to all those who read and enjoy this blog, only to find that I disappeared off the face of the e-earth without any warning or notification.

Then again, I don't even really have to apologize to you fuckers, since this is the internet!

Ahem, but seriously, just had a few things to take care of, some shit to straighten out, and now I am going to make a conscious effort to continue this blog. I'm a bit out of the underground (hell, music in general) loop so forgive me until I get caught back up to speed. Studying Engineering certainly takes a toll on hobbies and entertainment, but I've really missed music and can think of no better way to get back into it than kick-starting one of my proudest internet feats. Haha, like internet fame means anything.

See you all in the warmer side of Hell.