Discrucior - Mundus Subterraneus (1994)

Genre: Doom/Death Metal
Country: Estonia
Year: 1994

1. When The Day'll Come
2. Mundus Subterraneus
3. Doom
4. Isn't For Me
5. 13 Candles (Bathory Cover)

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Here's an interesting piece of Doom/Death from way out in Estonia! I've always had a strange fascination with Estonia (awesome country name) and the fact that very little Death metal has come out of the place. You can imagine my excitement when I found something that doesn't suck!

As previously mentioned, this is... interesting. Mostly because of the high range of vocal styles, starting out with a high-pitched, black metal-esque shriek that'll light your ears right up. Up next are the low, growled vocals, more in the doom fashion, followed by these agonized, moaning, semi-clean vocals. Fantastic contrast between all the different types of vocals, and they're used in such a way that make the long songs attention-grabbing.

Some serious song structure going on here, alternating all over the place from furious death metal, to chugging doom, with fringes of heavy metal. The riffing style is engaging, with sorrowful, melodic hooks, and aloof riffing with a purpose. Most of the more melodic riffs almost seem like solos, but get this... solos with direction! This was obviously a highly premeditated demo of high quality. The production unfortunately suffers slightly with the outstanding vocals a little high in the mix, and the production a bit thin, but if you can look beyond that (and I'm sure you can, considering the blog you're reading), you won't be disappointed. Recommended.

Garden Of Silence - Demo 92 (1992)

Genre: Doom/Death Metal
Country: France
Year: 1992

1. Sovereign of Sorrow
2. Through Infinity
3. At the End
4. The Farewell (At the End, Part 2)

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Even with all the genre descriptors to describe metal, Doom/Death still doesn't quite do the trick. There can be your dark and stormy doom/death, or the more bright and vibrant variety, if that makes sense. Garden Of Silence falls under the latter category; more uplifting than most. Obviously influenced heavily by traditional doom, I'm detecting subtle hints of Candlemass, especially in the clean vocals. So where's the Death? Well, we have harsh vocals, too! Mouthy rasps complement the clean vocals quite well, and are interlaced quite nicely with the rest of the music.

This is doom, but much more of a melodic type, without being melodeath. Filled with lively riffs and smooth melodies, this certainly feels more like a doom demo with some death metal elements.

Oh, almost forgot. These guys were previously known as Cemetery, who released a demo back in '91. I'll get around to posting that demo at some point as well.

Fun fact: Stephanie and Jerome later went on to form Horrors Of The Black Museum, which is a phenomenal doom project. I suggest you all check it out.

Cryptophobism - Demo '98 (1998)

Note: Artwork unavailable

Genre: Doom/Death Metal
Country: Bulgaria
Year: 1998

1. People That No-One Will Miss
2. Accidental Suicide
3. Cave
4. Madhouse (Rehearsal '93)

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100% crushing. I haven't used the "Heavy as Fuck" label in a while, but I think this decimating demo is deserving of such. Opening with a morbid, destruction-laced intro, the tone is set for the rest of this demo. Expect only the darkest and grimmest doom from here on out.

Perfect production value here; the mix sounds just as it should for this type of music: very full and overwhelming, with touches of austerity-- this is DOOM with the force and power to back it up. Dark and hopeless, there is nothing but steep, tenebrous walls all around you, stretching for miles. Trapped. No escape. Doom/Death done right.

The entire demo is bleak. Occasionally we'll have the rare lifting solo, shedding light on the darkness, but even then, forlorn despondency clouds the senses, slowly churning about with desolate melodies and echoing growls deep from the depths of oblivion.

Short and sweet, the demo wraps up with a glimpse of Cryptophobism's past: a rehearsal from 1993. They still managed to retain their sound over all these years, but unfortunately didn't have the deep, booming production that suits their doom so well. Still, the longest track of the bunch and perhaps a little more simplistic, but it works. This one's yet another gem; you'd be crazy not to give it a listen. Recommended.

Sceptical Schizo - Demo #1 (1989)

Genre: Death/Thrash Metal
Finland
Year: 1989

1. Intro
2. Holy War
3. Disguised Insanity
4. Forbidden Games
5. The Nightmare
6. I Was Made for Killing You (Bonus)

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Mega thanks to Drowned for surfacing what many thought to be lost forever or never to have existed in the first place! Here we have the very first offering from Sceptical Schizo. Thought I'd post it to complete the collection since everything else by Sceptical Schizo has been posted on this blog.

This one boils down to basic Thrash Metal, with some deathy undertones, hardly hinting at the future for this band. As time went on, these guys slowly got more and more doomy and depressive, and this 1989 demo provides an interesting look to where they started. A very chunky, thrashy start, to be exact. There's not much in the way of song structure. Underproduced, simplistic riffs with some deathy vocals and a gritty bassline.

Somewhere along the line, these guys were met with inspiration, and I sure as hell am glad they did.

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

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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.

Phlebotomy - Voluptuous... (1994)

Genre: Atmospheric Gothic Doom/Death Metal
Country: Greece
Year: 1994

1. Voluptuous Simplicity of the Line
2. One Thousand Times
3. A Dreamer Can Touch the Sky

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What. Is this still Phlebotomy? I'll admit, I had to do a double take, and check out On Thorns I Lay to see if this was still the same band... Sure enough, a few of these songs were used on their first full-length. With the name change most certainly came a drastic change in style. I sort of knew this was coming after their EP, but hey, what can you do, especially since this all went down in the mid 90s.

This would be a good demo, had it been a different band playing different music. I was almost shocked to hear this, so naturally, it didn't sit too well. The production value has been cranked way up; these guys must've started getting serious about the music they were playing and the direction they wanted to take. A lot has changed, most notably the vocals. My ears may be deceiving me, but it looks as if all male vocals were scrapped in favor of a variety of female vocals ranging from singing to harsh whispering (haha), to the occasional shriek.

The goth was turned up as well; however, still retaining the atmosphere from the previous releases, if not chippered up a bit with extravagant use of synths and flutes and other instruments. A lot of that spacey atmosphere has been lost in return for production. It was probably a good idea that they changed name, because what they do now just isn't Paralysis/Phlebotomy.