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.

Phlebotomy - Dawn of Grief (1993)

Genre: Atmospheric Doom/Death Metal
Country: Greece
Year: 1993

1. Born To Suffer
2. As the Sky Turns Black

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Much better production; about time these guys got signed to a label! Two songs here and the first is an old favorite from their promo tape, "Born to Suffer". The cheesy intro and exit bits that I pointed out in the Promo Tape review are removed to allow focus to fall on the song itself without any distractions or wtf moments. Not so sure if I'm a fan of the production... it is better, but it also gives the EP a "tinny" feel, especially with the scratchy guitars and glowering synths. Everything is better balanced, though; vocals and drums are further up front and this EP certainly sounds more complete.

New song! Looks like this marks the point where Phlebotomy are turning away from their doomy sound, and onto something a little more intense. Synths galore are still present all over the place, but female vocals are kicked up a few more notches, seemingly going even with the harsh vocals. Everything is faster-paced and almost industrial. This song marks the band's transition to a new style that you will see in "Voluptuous..."

Phlebotomy - Promo Tape (1993)

Note: Artwork unavailable

Genre: Atmospheric Doom/Death Metal
Country: Greece
Year: 1993

1. Intro
2. Our Golgotha Before The Beauty Of Our Death
3. Born To Suffer
4. Stories Of The Internal Of My Grave (Parts I and II)

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A classical intro... that's more like it! Immediately, I know I can expect the same style Paralysis got me hooked on, and I can't be more excited. In the same vein as the previous demo: occult synthesizers saturating the air, accompanied by subtle melodic fringes keep this music fresh and engaging. Clean vocals are introduced here and there, serving to add more to the arcane atmosphere. Melodic, acoustic interludes are spackled throughout to break up the lengthy songs.

Gloomy, dark, and highly atmospheric, the tracks on this demo are oddly entrancing, especially on "Born to Suffer" with the inclusion of mystical flowing female vocals. This is great music to reflect on pretty much anything you want. "Born to Suffer" brings us back to reality with a grim intro assailing the listener with machine gun fire and an old school Hellenic riff, yet takes us away again above the clouds, only to yank us back down with that key riff and marching drums. Not too clear how exactly those effects tie in, but it does add to the variety to make things interesting.

The synthesizers are used to great extend, with myriad sound effects such as the aforementioned, but also some new ones like fire crackling and wind blowing. They were going for atmosphere with this one, and Phlebotomy certainly hit the nail on the head! Deep, booming production presides, collapsing the very atmosphere above down on us. Recommended.

Paralysis (Grc) - Beyond The Chaos (1992)

Genre: Atmospheric Doom/Death Metal
Country: Greece
Year: 1992

1. Your Life... My Death
2. Born to Suffer
3. Dark Reality

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Multiple name changes here. These guys started out at Paralysis, changed to Phlebotomy in 1993, and finally to the well-known On Thorns I Lay in 1995. This is their first demo, and it really sets the stage for the successful career they've sculpted.

Right out of the box, the mood is set with the eerily disturbing intro. A monologue of sorts, littered with creepy, spacy synths. "Please let me go; I don't want to die..." The same feel is translated through the rest of the demo. I'm hesitant to call it "epic", but it does have a very mysterious and foreboding tone to it all. I feel like The Outsider in Lovecraft's famous early work. Not knowing where I'm going or what I'm going to find, I just keep climbing... the future will reveal itself to me. What will I discover beyond the chaos?

Melody abounds and heavy use of synthesizers aids in the atmosphere surrounding the chaos. Very deep and mystical-sounding, this is like an adventure through your mind. Eerie flute-sounding instruments are used, sprinkled with dangerously-close guitars make this a unique and fascinating listen. Recommended!

Natural Fear - Beyond Eternity (1992)

Genre: Atmospheric Death Metal
Country: Greece
Year: 1992

1. Intro/Souless Traitoration
2. Beyond Eternity

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Even more rare stuff from Greece! This is the only demo that I know of released by Natural Fear. I really like this demo. It's very short, but oh so sweet with two different styles of songs. Both start off with a far-off, distant-sounding introduction riff, leading into a mix of chunky and serene-like Death Metal with heavy use of synths. It sounds like it could go the brutal route, but then tapers off into spacey synths reminding me of the dark night sky, clear with stars spackling the heavens.

The second song sounds VERY familiar, especially the opening riff, and if any of you can pinpoint what this sounds like, I'll give you a cookie. It could just be my imagination, though! This track seems a bit darker and more foreboding than the other, and has a set, slow to mid-paced assault that doesn't let up, the drums pounding near the back, getting closer and closer and closer... Strangely enough, it's an almost calming style of Death Metal; difficult to explain.

Regardless, this one's only about six minutes long, so you could listen to this hidden gem twice in the time it takes to shower! Get it!

EDIT: Bingo! The familiarity comes from The Chasm... specifically "In Superior Torment". Interestingly enough, this demo came out years before Deathcult for Eternity: The Triumph...

Sanctorum - Crystal Tears of Silence (1994)

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

1. Flight of the Dragons
2. Silent and Forgotten
3. Crimson Dawn

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Holy fuck! Not quite sure how I came across this breathtaking Doom/Death band, but after seeking out this magnificent demo, I was awestruck. The kids were young at the time of this recording, the youngest being 15 years old, but displaying truly mind-boggling talent and incredible metallian prowess. It's a crying shame that Greece's military policies forced this band to split up, as they show so much potential with this masterpiece.

Clocking in at 28:56, sit back and prepare yourself for a journey of monolithic proportions through the three songs presented here. I'm not calling these guys Atmospheric for nothing, and this demo just oozes aloof, spacey undertones in a very memorable fashion, leaving the melodies embedded in your mind for days after even a single listen. Some of the most inventive and well-structured riffing I've heard in a long time. Tremolo picking is key, yet the band somehow retains a doomy, crushing, overpowering sound. I feel I'm in the lone guy at the bottom of Beksinski's ominous valley, traversing this unknown territory, letting the music wash over me... a bit overproduced, further accentuating the suffocating atmosphere, wrapping the listener up in the music. Just wait until you're hit with the occasional interlude... beautiful. The way these songs are constructed just defies my preconceptions about metal in 1993. Needless to say, Sanctorum was way ahead of its time!

Bonus fun fact: the band initially had all three of these songs rehearsed for a total of 33 or so minutes, but unknowingly bought analog cassettes that only allowed for 30 minutes of recording! Whoops! So the band had to play all these songs faster.

This is Christos's (the drummer) Youtube channel if you'd like to see what he's up to, or contact him. Those of you who'd like to contact him directly via email, send me an email and I'll hook you up.

Note that the recordings here come directly from the drummer, Christos, at 320kbps, much better quality than the Youtube rip floating around now. Also, this is the correct artwork, the one with the red lettering is most likely fan made. Scans of the entire inlay are available in the .rar archive uploaded here!

Different Seasons - Bleeding Summer (1996)

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

1. Steele Machine
2. Darkside
3. Behind You Sadness
4. Wind Of The Spite
5. Bleeding Summer
6. Red Evening Moon

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Ever since discovering these guys long ago, I haven't been able to go more than a few days without giving this one a listen! I am very impressed, and the only criticism I have is the short length of this "album", clocking in at just under 19 minutes in 6 songs. Goddamnit I want more!

Starting off with an eerie, yet still somehow cheery synthesized intro, the stage is set for some melodic/symphonic doomy Death Metal, but not in the frilly, "frolic through the flowers" pansy metal. This is some dark, but wholly engaging stuff. Excellent use of female vocals is made, along with synthesized instruments like organs! The good part of the album (understatement, since it's all good) starts when the female vocals burst out of the doom and gloom with "Behind You Sadness", providing fantastic contrast, and melding exceptionally well with the atmospheric/symphonic air.

This album has it all, despite such short length. We've got a straight-up Doom/Death song in "Darkside", eerie ambient intro/outro, powerful tunes incorporating all the elements that Different Seasons employs in tracks 3 & 4, and to top it all off, a gorgeous ballad, the title track of this hidden gem.

GET IT

Whispering Tears - Carmina Lacrimosa (2001)

Genre: Atmospheric Death Metal
Country: France
Year: 2001

1. Carmen Lacrimae
2. Whispering Tears
3. E(vil)charistia
4. Complainte of the Ames Écorchées
5. My Beloved Corpse
6. Until Death Do Us Unite
7. The Dark Hours
8. Die Versuchung Der Tranen (The Temptation of the Tears)

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There's something about France. I dunno, those pompous bastards seem to think they're better than everybody else, and this album is no exception! Not to say that's a bad thing at all, of course. Bordering more on the symphonic side, Whispering Tears's debut has a sophisticated and deliberated air about it, very majestic and almost, dare I say, beautiful? However, in stark contrast, the guitars are mainly jagged and crunchy, relying heavily on tremolo picking, while bizarre acoustics saturate the background, with myriad instruments all finding a place in this interesting album. There's occasional synthesizer use, as well as melancholic clean vocals mixed side by side with harsh growls to further mold that atmosphere of intrigue. Most of the songs are relatively long in length (the longest at eight minutes), giving this release a progressive and winding structure. The album finishes off with what appears to be a tribute to Mozart, "The Temptation of Tears".

Absence of Dawn - And the Sun is Fading... (1996)

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

1. Nature Drops
2. Sky Pain
3. Wind Flower
4. And the Sun is Fading...

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Greece seems to have a nasty habit of restricting the creative genius of many young bands! Damn military... but that's a story for another time. Here we have a lone demo from 1996 by an unknown band that plays a slow-paced, melodic type of doomy death metal. There's not much in terms of pacing or drumming, but the atmosphere and imagery evoked is exactly that of the demo title: And the Sun is Fading... Most of the time, a simple riff is utilized throughout an entire song, and not much is varied in terms of song structure. So why am I posting this here? For some reason, this demo holds my interest. On paper, it sounds like it shouldn't, but just enough melody is used to create a depressing atmosphere and can sound like a fantastic demo if in the right mood. The production wears a bit thin at times and the vocals sometimes aren't the best, but despite all these flaws, this sounds GOOD. Nothing more to it. Would absolutely love to hear this remastered or even re-recorded with some heavier-tuned instruments.

Shallow Rivers - Water Awakes (2009)

Genre: Atmospheric Doom/Death Metal
Country: Russia
Year: 2009

1. Water Awakes
2. For My Beloved
3. Echoes Of the Fall

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I know I've been lazy lately, but don't think I've forgotten about the 2009 releases! This is the first demo from a very promising Russian band who plays a unique brand of laid-back Doom Metal with a hint of Death and a lot of atmosphere. Doesn't exactly fit in with the rest of the material here, but I figured a few of you would be interested. Both male and female vocals are used, alternating grunts and flowing operatics, meshed with a prominent use of keyboards make this an engaging listen, one that will hold your attention to the very end, despite the long song lengths and monotonous, depressive feel of this release. Not sure whether to categorize this has happy or sad, but it certainly does evoke some sort of emotional response within me, which is more than I can say for a lot of music out there! Nab this, you won't be disappointed.

Sceptical Schizo - Dispossessed (1990)

Note: Artwork unavailable

Genre: Death Metal
Country: Finland
Year: 1990

1. Intro: The Rocker
2. Sepulchral Scene
3. Brainwash
4. Meaning of Existence
5. Victim of Perversity
6. Peerless Pastor

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Here we have the legendary Sceptical Schizo's second demo. The first is still nowhere to be found, so if you've got it, kindly send it to me! This demo is noticeably more thrashy in comparison to their other demos. Sure, the vocals are death all the way, but the riffing is much faster and there seems to be quite an abundance of tremolo picking. Amazing riffs, especially on "Meaning of Existence" and "Victim of Perversity", and the firm roots of a band that was to release a few more demos/EPs before changing their name to Lavra.

Sceptical Schizo - Danse Macabre (1990)

Note: Artwork unavailable

Genre: Atmospheric Doom/Death Metal
Country: Finland
Year: 1990

1. Comfortable? (Open Your Eyes)
2. Fruits of Wrath
3. Battlefields
4. Thoughts of the Dead

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Demo number three from the Finnish Sceptical Schizo, and this is where they really start to perfect their sound. A much more polished release, you can feel the atmosphere and doomy perfection radiating from this music. It's very easy to lose yourself in the hypnotic songs. There are some pretty cool melodies, like on "Fruits of Wrath", and Sceptical Schizo really knows how to churn out some quality songs, getting creative with song structure and tempo. The riffs and solos are all still there, albeit slowed down quite a bit, really sinking into their doom/death sound. Impressive stuff!

Sceptical Schizo - The Four Seasons (1991)

Genre: Atmospheric Doom/Death Metal
Country: Finland
Year: 1991

1. (Spring) Illusion of Sleep
2. (Summer) I Came to Grief
3. (Autumn) Falling Leaves (And My Fears Became to Life)
4. (Winter) Wrapped in Darkness I Grieve

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This is the demo that many consider to be Sceptical Schizo's break-out point, and probably the highlight of their short-lived career. Four lengthy and intricate songs make up this release and are a bit more aggressive than the previous demo. It seems to have a little faster pacing and is more upbeat, especially on the happy, crisp seasons like Spring and Summer. Their signature atmospheric touches are still there, often created by subtle synths, making for an 'epic' sound at points. However, they never overdo it, and what few times you do hear it, it sounds amazingly well-placed. This release, following the previous one, has a very entrancing touch and while I'm typing this, I keep finding myself staring at the computer screen, completely sucked into the music. Top-notch riffing as well, especially within the first few moments or pretty much every track, with some great, quick main riffs to complete each song perfectly. Highly recommended.

Sceptical Schizo - Into the Suction of Blue/Withdrawn (1992)

Genre: Atmospheric Doom/Death Metal
Country: Finland
Year: 1992

1. Into the Suction of Blue
2. Withdrawn

Please note that this release is actually self-titled, but in the sake of attracting search results from Metal Archives and to avoid confusion, the album is titled as such in the post.

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In case you still weren't convinced of the Atmospheric tag, then this EP is the release for you. Only two tracks here, but they are written in such an overwhelming way, these tracks will actually speak to you. What they will say depends on the person, but as for me, I get a strong air of melancholy and nostalgia from these tracks. I can't say exactly what I'm feeling, but it certainly tugs at the ol' heart strings in one way or another. Full of synths, other various instruments and sad, doomy riffing, this is definitely a very unique and powerful masterpiece. There are a lot more clean (spoken) vocals on this EP than in previous releases, but I think it goes very well with the music and helps add to the incredible imagery that is bound to bleed into your mind. Somewhat different from older Sceptical Schizo, this definitely marks their transition into the style they were going to play as Lavra.

Enough said, just listen to this and be blown away.

Sceptical Schizo - The Plight (1993)

Genre: Atmospheric Doom/Death Metal
Country: Finland
Year: 1993

1. Tightrope Ballet
2. Sixteen Gardens of Plight

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This it, Sceptical Schizo's final release under this name. It mostly follows the style of the latest EP and seems like it could have been a part of it. Slowly creeping towards that name change and also change in style. You're not going to hear classic, aggressive Schizo on this release, but instead, much more doomy/atmospheric doom/death, with a much larger focus on the instrumental aspect of music. Still an excellent release, almost on par with their s/t and once again, very emotional and heart-felt. Check this one out, as Sceptical Schizo's transition was a large and interesting one, full of excellent music on both ends of the spectrum. One of the best and most consistent (not in terms of style, but quality) bands.