1/11/13 UPDATE: All links active.
Showing posts with label USA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USA. Show all posts

Friday, January 25, 2013

Infinifixion - Eternal Crucifixion (1996)



Genre: Death Metal
Country: USA
Year: 1996

1. Bound Up In Blasphemy
2. Beyond Blood
3. Phantom Of The Opera
4. Last Rites - Unholy Sacrament
5. Eternal Crucifixion

Download at Mediafire
Metal Archives
Last.fm

—————————————————————

I've had this on rotation quite a bit recently, so please allow me to share the wealth! It's always good to see old bands close to home-- I can almost reach out and touch these guys! Well, if my arms were 200 miles long, but hey, close enough.

The first song starts out with some tribal chanting/didgeridoo-sounding atmospherics (gee, never thought I'd be able to mention a didgeridoo in metal!) and slowly transitions into rhythmic pounding, keyboards, and finally guitars. But even then it's not done! Once that first riff shattered through at around 3 minutes, my jaw dropped at the raw emotion and melody on display. This is not your typical death metal.

The composition on this demo is great. Every instrument and vocal matches and complements each other, leading to a well thought-out structure that perfectly suits the music being played.

The demo centers around a rough-around-the-edges production with gritty harsh vocals keeping up with the harsh guitar tuning, and even the melodic solos retain that raspy sound. Keyboards add that melodic tinge that clashes in the best way possible with the scratchy sounds of the other instruments for a unique sound. Well done and recommended.

Plus a bonus Iron Maiden cover! New spin on "Phantom Of The Opera" that almost sounds like original material!

Monday, January 16, 2012

Ruminations - Rehearsal Demo (2011)


Genre: Doom/Death Metal
Country: USA
Year: 2011

1. Leafs
2. Emptiness Departured
3. Luminescent Twilight Re-Dreamed

Download at Mediafire
Metal Archives
Last.fm

—————————————————————

I suppose this is an OSDM blog, and I rarely post newer music, but this is just too good to go unnoticed. Plus, it has a very old school sound, and if I didn't know any better, I'd have thought this was from the mid-90s!

This is a rehearsal, so the production isn't the best, but it actually works in the band's favor. Underproduced and raw, this is a full-on assault on the ears is the very best way possible. The first song, "Leafs" is short and to the point, and more straight-up death metal oriented than the following tracks; it serves quite nicely to snap the listener's attention completely on this absorbing music.

The vocals are deep, growled gutturals set far back in the mix, to the point where they're nothing but a dull roar occasionally peaking out beyond the murk and filth that are the guitars. Monstrous and full-sounding, the suffocating guitars cast an unforgiving darkness out, enveloping anything and everything in their path, creating some of the most engaging and occult-sounding gloomy DOOOOM. My ears are also detecting traces of The Chasm, notably in the second track, sorrow abounding. Very visceral in its dark reflections of esoterica and affliction. Recommended.

For those interested, Carlos from Ruminations is offering free copies of this demo tape. Shoot him an email at ruminations@mail.com with an address if you'd like one.

Ruminations at Facebook (and here)

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Withering Divinity - Tragical Endings (1994)


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

1. Into the Darkness
2. Devil's Watching Me
3. Chaos Curse
4. Innocence
5. Pretend in Vain

Download at Mediafire
Metal Archives
Last.fm

—————————————————————

Dark Millennium. I'm sorry, but upon first listen to this obscure demo, only one thought rang out inside my head and that was Dark Millennium. The musical style is a little rawer and less produced, but the vocalist sounds exactly like Christian Mertens. I had to do a double take at the vocalist and look him up on Metal Archives to see if it was the same guy. Holy shit, the similarity is uncanny. I rather liked the higher Dark Millennium vocals (liked Torsten's, too), so I instantly took a fond liking to this demo.

Opening with a subduded, haunting intro, we then move onto "Devil's Watching Me", starting off with a catchy bass tune that sets the riffing style of the rest of the song. As the guitar's kick in, Christi- er, Scott's harsh vocals unleash, very pained and agonized. Hell, I would be, too, if the Devil was watching me. The rest of the demo follows suit, alternating pounding Death Metal parts, but throwing in some doom n' gloom here and there, coupled with creepy clean vocals.

"Innocence" is an oddly uplifting, mesmerizing instrumental tune, unlike the previous two songs, probably preparing you for the final and longest song, "Pretend in Vain". This one's a trip. A sort of culmination of this release, there's a bit of everything here. Opening with eerie spoken words outlined by a similarly subdued bass line like the intro, the sun slowly begins to peer through the clouds, yet not fully committing, probably due to the (anti)religious lyrical content. Sounds like a different band at this point until the metal kicks in. Overall a great concluding track, except for maybe the mariachi bit at the end, but hey. Seriously, what the fuck.

Recommended.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Threnodist - The Vomitous Demo (1991)


Note: Artwork unavailable

Genre: Death Metal
Country: USA
Year: 1991

1. Launched into Eternity
2. Lamentation of the Dead
3. Infernal Diatribe
4. Pukus
5. Tyrannicide

Download at Mediafire
Metal Archives
Last.fm

—————————————————————

Fans of Infester and their absolutely cult album To the Depths... In Degradation will jump at this demo, recorded by who Infester used to be... Threnodist.

Crunchy and forward in its production and presentation, this demo is host to a slew of infectious riffs that doesn't let up until the end. I wouldn't call this all that thrashy, as their are some slower-paced almost doomy sections, but the piercing nature of the guitars ingrains every riff into your head, sawing your brain into pieces. Not quite chainsaws, but more like chopsaws. Almost rigid in the style of Death Metal, The Vomitous Demo is a very enforcing release. Combined with the extended riffing sessions without vocals, you'll be left hypnotized and captivated.

Vocals are pretty standard deep, throaty gutturals that are used minimally and set back into the mix to allow the guitars to step up. The growls aren't all that fast, and more drawn out, drifting in and out of the music, meshing unbroken with the guitars to great effect. Fast and furious at times, this is a full on Death Metal release, paving the way for Infester's brilliance. Recommended.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Mutant Supremecy - Corpses in Pieces (2010)



Genre: Death Metal
Country: USA
Year: 2010

1. Morbid Dismemberment
2. Epitaph
3. Vermin
4. Lady Forlorn

Download at Mediafire
Metal Archives
Last.fm

—————————————————————

One of the good folks over at Last.fm asked me to post this demo, so here I am, posting it! I gotta apologize, though, for the incredible lateness in not getting it posted before the album was released, but hey, I've been busy. Regardless, I am finally getting around to it, so be sure to give these new guys to the Death Metal scene a good listen as you shan't be disappointed!

Old School Death Metal, with some Black fringes, Mutant Supremacy (great name) plays a dark brand of down and dirty Death Metal, deep within the depths of hell for the lovely audience of Satan and his minions. A very good first demo, and, unlike the majority of crap I get sent to be posted, this is a high quality slab of metal, and in no way a shitty teenage garage band, so I'd recommend giving these guys a listen, paying close attention for their full-length "Infinite Suffering", which I may or may not post later.

Raw and evil, go go go!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Gorguts, Portal, Krallice, and Bloody Panda Live at Great Scott (2010)


Thought I'd sidetrack a bit with the music posting for a little posting about music!

Last night, I went with a few friends to go see the above-mentioned bands live at the Great Scott bar in Boston, Massachusetts, and found it memorable and exhilarating enough to write about here. About 75 people were cramped into the bar, and I was really excited from the get-go, since this was one of the first times that I was interested in ALL of the bands playing a show. It was one hell of a night, and seeing Gorguts play their first show in 10 years was a real treat. I'll now go through the bands in the order they played, and maybe include a few shitty pictures I took with my phone.

BLOODY PANDA
These sludge/doomers from New York played the loudest of the four and were monumentally crushing. I was standing right up there in the front row and had to check my ears a few times for blood. ;D It was definitely an eye-opening experience to see a band who played this style of music. The guitar and bass were heavily in front of the mix, and every strum left my head throbbing and echoing. What I found to be most interesting were the two vocalists, both Asian, screaming their hearts out. Yoshiko Ohara did the main vocals and her shrieks were absolutely blood-curdling. Hell, when the show began, I thought I was hearing guitar feedback, when it was really just her. Gerry Mak, the other guy who does some of the growling and chanting really got into it as well and overall, the band presented a doom-and-gloom atmosphere; all the band members had their heads down, hair covering their faces, as they played their world-collapsing music.

KRALLICE
Known for their over-the-top technicality and avant-garde style of black metal, the aforementioned really does not do well in a live setting. The band barely had time to acknowledge the crowd or even so much as look up, since they were furiously moving their fingers as fast as they would go. However, they did play some ridiculously fast songs that got the crowd going. I was actually really pumped to see these guys play, since they sounded so pristine and fun to listen to on their studio albums, but in the end, Krallice is a band that's better left to playing in the studio, off the stage. Not much else to say, except that they were the disappointment of the night. Still good, I mean, this entire show was fantastic, but not as good as the other acts.

PORTAL
By far my favorite of the night! The atmosphere these guys invoked was unlike anything else I've ever heard, and as if it wasn't dark enough in the venue as it was, Portal sucked all hope and strength from the room and channeled it into their music. Incredibly heavy and plodding, they sound even more brutal than in the studio. I tried to record a few clips on my phone, but the sound was so loud that it blew my microphone out and all I got was silence!

Okay, I know what you all are waiting for. Was the vocalist wearing that crazy fucking clock on his head? Sadly, no, but instead he was dressed in this sort of anti-pope black garb. His face was covered by a black burlap sack sort of thing, and he had what appeared to be a black, homemade pope headdress on, with gold and red lining the edges. His robe draped all around his body, and he wore these serial-killer gloves. This guy totally stole the show. He was so slow and deliberate in his movements, that it really felt like he was pure evil and I was being thrown into darkness.
The way he tilted his head to one side, held it there for a few seconds, then turned back was spine-tingling. Since he played no instrument, he could throw his hands up and do other ominous things like touching his fingertips together and staring at the ground. The guy was creepy as fuck and it was awesome. The rest of the band had their signature black sacks over their heads with black jackets and pants, and one guy has a freaking noose wrapped around his neck. Awesome.

The music! All of the above combined with their style of music made for an incredible experience. The audience was going absolutely nuts, and I thought the kid next to me was going to have a seizure from grabbing his head and throwing his hands up, in a claw-shape, shaking violently with the music. The breakdowns were fucking intense, and watching pope man move with each pulsating beat threw everybody into a frenzy. You had to be there.

GORGUTS
The best band in terms of crowd interaction and overall enjoyability, and it was their first show in 10 years! I feel so privileged to be a part of Gorguts's reformation, and it was comforting to find that they hadn't lost their touch after all these years! This was actually Gorguts's first show in the Boston area in 20 years!

Frontman Luc Lemay, the only original Gorguts member was great to the crowd and expressed his happiness to be back at it after all these years. An incredibly nice guy; he gave away his guitar pick and even played a few more songs after their set was over due to popular demand. They played a lot of stuff from Obscura, but also touched upon their other three albums as well, so we got to hear a little of everything. They played for something like an hour and a half, and not once did I feel bored or antsy, and the crowd was pretty much the same way. Hell, this was when the moshing and crazy shit started happening! Portal was mind-blowing, but the audience had remained relatively tame compared to Gorguts. I'm pretty sure Gorguts purposely did breakdowns within breakdowns to encourage the mosh-pit, but I've no problem with that! The band was really into the music they were playing, head-banging along with the rest of us. At the end, this one completely smashed guy even went for a crowd surf! Twice!

As an added bonus, Gorguts played two NEW songs that they had been writing! It was a real treat to be some of the first to hear these songs played in full. The first was an instrumental, jokingly entitled "Number 3", since it was obviously unfinished, and had a very Obscura-esque feel to it! The second untitled song was more complete and had vocals as well as a long, interlude/breakdown sort of part in the middle. Mesmerizing, and even more like Obscura! So, for all of you out there who loved the direction Gorguts took before they broke up, you're in for a real treat!

And that was my night. I bought a Portal shirt with a scary spider climbing out the front, shook hands with Luc Lemay, and braved the 90 minute drive back home at 2 in the morning.

Cheers from this guy!

Monday, February 1, 2010

Hatred Embraced - Demo (2009)


Note: Artwork unavailable

Genre: Death/Thrash Metal
Country: USA
Year: 2009

1. Descent into the Macabre
2. Interment of Divine Saviours

Download at Mediafire
Metal Archives
Facebook
Myspace
Last.fm

—————————————————————

Furious and pummeling, Hatred Embraced have risen from the boondocks of New Jersey (man, what's in NJ!? :b) with some deadly thrash-influenced Death Metal, ready to rip to shreds whoever's in their way.

Highly riff-oriented with a saturated production, this is very easy to listen to and fun to get into. The vocals are everywhere, and border a bit on the melodic side, but fitting very well with the guitar tone, giving these two tracks a balanced feel with a sense of direction! Great guitarwork with finetuned control. Unfortunately, this is only a short, albeit sweet sampler of what will surely be a promising future for these New Jersey metallers!

Friday, December 11, 2009

Demented Ted - Promises Impure (1993)



Genre: Death Metal
Country: USA
Year: 1993

1. Existence Lies Beneath
2. Despair
3. Psychopathology
4. Incisions
5. Liquid Remains
6. Geneticide
7. Between Two Eternities
8. Forgotten

Download at 4shared
Metal Archives Rating: 75% (1 review)
Last.fm

—————————————————————

Hailing from Chicago, Illinois, Demented Ted play a chunky, technical-sounding style of animated Death Metal. I wouldn't call this melodic at all, but there's a certain... feel to it. Don't want to say "catchy", but there's something about the riffing that is absolutely delicious. I haven't listened to Death in years, but if I remember correctly, these guys have their moments with cascading riffs reminiscent of later Death. I could be wrong, but who cares, this is some quality obscure Death Metal that more people need to know about!

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Sarcophagy - Live at Jerilee's 9/25/09 (2009)



Genre: Death Metal
Country: USA
Year: 2009

1. Live at Jerilee's

Download at Mediafire
Metal Archives
Last.fm

—————————————————————

Reunited at last! The first live show Sarcophagy has played since they reformed earlier this year (June) and it is fantastic! Nothing has changed since the old days, and this is one of the best live shows I have ever heard! The sound quality is really good, since each track was professionally recorded separately, then mashed together into one 35 minute track. It's been through multiple mixes (this is number four), so expect very good sound and production. Several songs are played from both demos, as well as new songs like "Truncate the Pedophile", along with an old track "Spoiled" that was one of four songs written back when they were still together, but never had a chance to record. These four songs are going to be relearned and recorded for a full-length that should be due out next summer some time. That's if they get around to writing a few more songs.

Definitely give this a dedicated listen, as the commentary from the band to the audience reveals a lot about who they are (how cool they are), the new band members, and their plans for the future. Not to mention the fuckin' rockin' music!

Sarcophagy - Cut to Pieces (1995)



Genre: Death Metal
Country: USA
Year: 1995

1. Onset Of Torture
2. Cut To Pieces
3. The Summoning
4. Grisly Homicidal Butchery

Download at 4shared
Metal Archives
Last.fm

—————————————————————

Sarcophagy was never one to let themselves be ruled by one style of music! They liked to change things up a bit, and that's exactly what we're given with Cut to Pieces: another way to make excellent Death Metal! The guitar tone is a little more subdued on this release, which complements the more dark and doomy parts on some of these songs. "Cut to Pieces" sometimes slows down to just a few beats per minute, painfully slow, but at the same time so satisfying; enough to bring a sadistic grin to your face. The same vocals are used, although the grunts are used more frequently than the rasps, once again fitting in nicely with the plodding dooooooom. A crushing demo. These guys need much more attention, so download and enjoy!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Sarcophagy - Hunger Pains (1993)



Genre: Death Metal
Country: USA
Year: 1993

1. Blood Soaked
2. Motion Sickness
3. Soul Searcher
4. Mass Burial

Download at Mediafire
Metal Archives
Last.fm

—————————————————————

Sarcophagy was one of those bands back in the day who didn't give a fuck what the current scene sounded like and were limited only by their imagination (band said so itself) to create some of the best Death Metal out there. Hunger Pains was their first demo, and a magnificent start to a career that ended all too shortly. Thankfully, they have reformed with a couple new members and are ready to tear shit up again!

Mid to fast-paced, this is some out-of-the-box Death Metal that is not only creative, but devastating. There are several vocals styles present, ranging from deep, harsh grunts to raspy hissing growls, depending on the mood of the song. "Blood Soaked" is a slower-paced serial killer song, with the vocals and riffing to fit. Probably one of my favorites, and is also one of the band's favorite songs! The riffing and solos on all these songs are deliberately planned and thought out, solidifying their plan of attack. Amazing stuff, and completely undeserving of the lack of attention received! Recommended.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

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

Download at Mediafire
Metal Archives
Last.fm

—————————————————————

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!

Monday, September 21, 2009

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

Download at Mediafire
Metal Archives
Last.fm

—————————————————————

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.

Monday, September 7, 2009

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

Download at Mediafire
Metal Archives
Last.fm

—————————————————————

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!

Monday, August 24, 2009

Butchery - Necropsy Profane (1992)



Genre: Death Metal
Country: USA
Year: 1992

1. Necropsy Profane
2. Invitation To Eviseration
3. Zombification
4. To Kill For A Feast
5. Mass Grave (A Love Song)

Download at Mediafire
Metal Archives
Last.fm

—————————————————————

Butchery was an obscure little band from the backwater hick country known as Alabama, USA. Surprisingly enough, despite being in such a non-metal location, they managed to churn out a few very well-produced recordings. Here is their first demo, entitled "Necropsy Profane". Don't mind Metal Archives, they've got it backwards, listing this as their second demo. I mean, come on, how do you fuck that up? Take a wild guess as to what their second demo is called. Yeah, Demo II. I swear, bunch of monkeys... but I digress.

On this demo, we have some heavy, brutal and fairly underdeveloped Death Metal. Every single one of the five songs are about 2 minutes long each, leaving you with some fast, pummeling, hard-hitting music in very short bursts. Probably for the better, though, seeing as their style is more suited towards brutal DM or grindcore. They certainly felt that way, considering their gory lyrical content. Usually very fast-paced with some killer double bass, this demo does slow down a bit here and there, making it seem more like Death Metal. Take "Zombification" for instance. We've got some slower-paced stuff, with more emphasis on the riffs. Overall, quite an interesting release, and it seems as if the band were just experimenting to see what sort of direction they would like to head. Not to worry, though, they chose the Death Metal path. See next demo!

Butchery - Demo II (1992)



Genre: Death Metal
Country: USA
Year: 1992

1. The Last Supper
2. Scrotal Amputation
3. Blasphemous Butchery
4. Baptised In Excrement

Download at Mediafire
Metal Archives
Last.fm

—————————————————————

Butchery are back at it again, with their second demo, and definitely heading down the road of Death Metal. The songs are more developed here, and about twice as long on average, allowing for some more room to push boundaries and stuff. The first thing I noticed is that they went a little overboard with production and overproduced the demo so much that it seems like the vocals, guitars, and drums are all collapsing in on each other, mushing into one globby mess. Not a bad thing, though. It give the release a much fuller/satisfying sound, and with every breath, I can actually feel the DM in my lungs. Awesome. The vocals are similar to the previous release, but seemingly less throaty and more along the lines of yelling than inaudible growling. Still unable to hear what the guy's saying, but the vocals definitely seem much more lively and entertaining. Riffing is cool, and works well with the solos, each complementing the other and working off each other to produce neat effects, keeping the song progressing forward. Nicely done.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Burial - Loss of Life (1991)



Genre: Death Metal
Country: USA
Year: 1991

1. Unnecessarily Executed
2. Justifiable Homicide
3. Victim of Drowning
4. Serial Killer

Download at Mediafire
Metal Archives Rating: 80%
Last.fm

—————————————————————

Here is my recommendation of the week. Or something. I don't actually do one of those, but if I did, this would be my pick. Here we have yet another demo-only band, only having released a few demos, with the other two featuring re-recorded songs from this legendary demo. But this is the one you want.

Burial play a very fast and frantic style of Death Metal not unlike early Obituary and Death. The riffs are there in full force and a bit of technicality is showing through with these razor-sharp leads and melodies. The bass is very audible at times and blends well with the music. The vocals sound a lot like early Death, if not a bit more animated. You can tell this guy is really getting into the music.

Best song, bar none, is "Victim of Drowning". This is probably one of my favorite DM tracks ever, mainly for the insane, over the top style and vocals. The vocals! Very wild and scared sounding almost, like he really is drowning. That mixed with the riffing really creates a frightening and helpless atmosphere, like you're being overwhelmed. If anything, download this demo for that song. Amazing.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Somber Blessings - The Winds of the Earth (1995)



Genre: Doom/Death Metal
Country: USA
Year: 1995

1. Intro
2. Hollow of The Three Hills
3. The Winds of The Earth
4. Mourn The Sunrise
5. In Death's Shadow
6. The Autumn King
7. Nevermore
8. So Sleeps The Dawn
9. Shall Weep No Longer

Download at Mediafire
Metal Archives
Last.fm

—————————————————————

Hailing from Massachusetts, my next door neighbor (well, relatively speaking, considering some of the other stuff I post here from Finland or what have you) released this magnificent demo tape in 1995. Quickly becoming one of my favorite bands, this is a beautiful combination of death, doom, melody and a variety of other things. Quite an eclectic release, it's mostly Doom/Death with an emphasis on DOOOOOOM, utilizing mainly raspy death growls, but also including a very melodic and beautiful female vocalist. Some of the riffs can be very melodic and compelling, making this one of the best releases in the Doom/Death genre.

In addition to the above, other instruments are used on occasion such as a cello/violin and keyboards. These guys had a vision in the creation of this demo and their musical talent is shining through, blindingly bright.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Symphony of Grief - Our Blessed Conqueror (1995)



Genre: Death/Doom Metal
Country: USA
Year: 1995

1. Toth Amon/Your Fallen Domain
2. Wars of Vengeance
3. Cast Upon Flames
4. Spectral Voice (Intro)
5. Immortal Fluids

Download at Mediafire
Metal Archives Rating: 90% (1 review)
Last.fm

—————————————————————

Spanning only two years, Symphony of Grief finally split up in 1995, but not before unleashing this hell of a going away present. It seems they actually toned the heaviness down a bit, but in return, really polished up the general sound. Much more well-written. The first song starts off dreadfully slow, but then seems to alternate between brutally fast and blasting sections to funeral doom sections, making the first song seem very disjointed. But after that, the EP only gets better. Really keying in on the "doom and gloom" this is a morbid-sounding release that simply reeks of death and misery. It seems that this truly is a symphony of grief. It's everywhere, was present on previous releases as long as this one, and the smell is overpowering. I feel sad just listening to it. Not quite Funeral Doom, but more like Depressive Death Metal. Something in between and very compelling. Highly recommended.

Sympony of Grief - Immortal Suffering 2-Tracks Promo Tape (1993)



Genre: Death/Doom Metal
Country: USA
Year: 1993

1. Cerberus
2. Ritual Disembowelment

Download at Mediafire
Metal Archives
Last.fm

—————————————————————

The very first effort from the great Symphony of Grief was this short little promo tape. The production is horrid. It really is. Thankfully, this was re-recorded and re-released later on their Regurgitated Corpses... Drowning in Sorrow EP. Aside from the rumbling, reverberated production that makes this release sound like it was recorded outside or in a cave somewhere, this promo marks the beginnings of a godly new Death/Doom band. Very heavy and suffocating with towering vocals and crushing riffs, this really pulls you down. Very impressive, and this is only the beginning...