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AZARATH
Praise The Beast, LP, CD, Digi-Pak
(Agonia Records 2009)

Argh, this super-evil bastards from Poland always gave me a big slap in the face, when I was listening to their music! After the 2006 monster "Diabolic Impious Evil" I was completely excited to hear the new material and hell yes, they even topped the material. Fast, brutal and over the top evilness as their forerunner DAMNATION, with a great atmosphere and total dedication to the old American death metal roots mixing it up with the typical Polish style! The guitar section is kicking out one great riff after the other, the fast-forward drumming is nearly excellent and the vocals are brutal as fuck, but still understandable. Every fuckin track has a special feeling, so it's really hard to mention one of twelve! Listen to it if you are worshipping records like "Rebel Souls", "Altars Of Madness" or "Legion". On the digi-pak and vinyl (ltd. 500) version is also a bonustrack in form of "Ave Satanas", which is from ACHERON's classical and best record "Rites Of The Black Mass". Perhaps it's a little bit to slow for AZARATH, but still a good song to say goodbye. Highly recommended!!! Oh yes, latest news Bruno (bass/vocals) has left the band in December'09 and was replaced by Necrosodom (ex-THRONEUM). LP is limited to 500 copies.
www.azarath.tcz.pl, www.myspace.com/azarath666, www.agoniarecords.com


DEMILICH
Nespithe, LP, CD
(Xtreem Music 2009)

Oh yes, I've waited nearly like ten years to get the DEMILICH as LP and now Xtreem Music was so kind and released "Nespithe" as black/red and grey/red splatter vinyl (limited to 500 copies each). But hey, the CD rerelease featured the complete "Four Instructive Tales of
Decomposition" demo as bonus and there are also liner-notes mentioned, but the vinyl edition has nothing... also the lyrics and greetings are missing. A little bit annoying to buy a rerelease with has less infos than every (re)release of "Nespithe", which were released earlier. Ok, enough bad shit about this release! Hey, it's one of the few real classics from Finland and DEMILICH is without a doubt one of the first and best technical bands with a brutal edge. The vocals are completely inhuman and the guitarwork is totally sick. It's sad that they splitted-up only two years after the original release and never did anything after this record, but perhaps it's also a good thing, so they will never release a shitty one, like many bands did or are doing!
www.anentity.com/demilich, www.xtreemmusic.com, www.myspace.com/demilich


DENIAL
Catacombs Of The Grotesque, CD/LP
(Asphyxiate Recs./Blood Harvest 2009)

Oh yeah, the Mexican DENIAL just impressed me with their debut 7" "Immense Carnage Vortex" (2007), but the 2009 record really gets better than this one amd didn't get out of my CD player for a while! And tata, Blood Harvest was so kind and released it also on vinyl! Nice! It's a pitty, that both versions (CD and LP) were printed in a really dark way. Many details from the cover are to dark and quite difficult to fix out! But again the music is and will be the most necessary! And that's brutal and dark death metal the old school way. Perhaps some Finnish old school stuff, mixed up with an INCANTATION like atmosphere plus a South-American obscure touch!? The guitar sound crushes everything, the drums are varied and well structured and the vocals are deeper than deep and totally brutal! The complete sound is an unity and is sooo brutal, but still old school as hell! Everyone into deep, obscure, evil and brutal death metal, has to buy this one!!!
www.myspace.com/denialmex, www.bloodharvest.se, www.asphyxiaterecordings.com


EPITAPH
Seeming Salvation, CD rerelease
(Konqueror Records 2009)

And once again a real Swedish classic rereleased on CD. It's time for EPITAPH's "Seeming Salvation" (1992) also including the four tracks from their Split-LP with EXCRUCIATE (1991). And yes Andy from Konqueror was right to release it once again, cause this Swedish three-piece really know how to play the now legendary Old School style! Perhaps a little bit more Thrash oriented, but of course the downtuned guitars, a growly voice and mainly played in mid-tempo with some faster outbreaks. If I mention GROTESQUE, GRAVE and CARNAGE, you know what's the game here. The production is also the typical Sunlight production, so I think there is no reason for Swedish Death Metal fan, not to get this record. It's quite a shame, that EPITAPH fell apart after this release, cause they had a real talent for good song and to be honest, it could be better in some parts, but I still love this record! Also the four tracks from the split-LP were a good demo production (also Sunlight), some points weeker than the record, but still very enjoyable! The three guys behind EPITAPH never (as I know) get back to the musical circus, so I think this band will never get back to the scene... There are also plans from the label The Crypt to rerelease the EPITAPH stuff as double-LP, so if someone didn't get the original pressings, you have to check www.darksymphonies.com.
www.myspace.com/epitaphswedishdeathmetal, www.myspace.com/konquerorrecords


GODDEFIED
Remnants Of The Art, 7"
(Blood Harvest 2009)

Ok, a band which lasts only for around 5 years (1990-1995) and only released one MCD called "Abysmal Grief" in 1993 (rereleased as 10" in 2008 on Blood Harvest) are reformed. Nothing special, huh? Not really, but GODDEFIED really have the quality to bring back the old feeling! On this 7" are two new tracks plus a rerecorded version of "Zephaniah Dwells" and every single track really kicks ass. The crushing guitars and the fast drumming are fitting perfectly to the raw vocals of Jan Arvidsson and also the production is really really raw, brutal and 100% in the tradition of the early 90ies. Everyone who likes the brutal edge of the Swedish sound will definitely love this little piece of vinyl! Also the rerecorded version didn't loose anything of the original power and the new logo is also way better than the original one! There are also plans for an upcoming 10"Thumbs up and hey this is a "comeback" which is really dedicated, not like some bigger bands, whose names I have forgotten...
www.goddefied.com, www.bloodharvest.se, www.myspace.com/goddefiedswe


GODDEFIED
Abysmal Grief, 10"
(Blood Harvest 2008)

This is a rerelease I'm really happy about. First of all this record was originally only released as MCD and the price (if you find it...) is really too high! Fuck hell and now even on vinyl, nice!!! The logo were replaced by a new one, which is also much more better than the original and also the cover isn't anymore in black/white, but in a nice brown/red colour! But this are the only changes. As far as I know, the recording werem't remastered or anything. But why isn't here a infosheet or a nice collage or something??? No, there are also less informations, than on the original release... That's annoying! But the music counts and that's the typical early 90ies Swedish Sunlight sound in the vein of bands like ENTOMBED or NIRVANA 2002. The 6 tracks were recorded in two sessions and it's quite obvious, that the B-side were recorded later and especially the guitars are sounding more like the "Clandestine" record. The A-side is rawer and more like a (good) demo recording, but in all both sides has their moments, nothing new, but a really good ENTOMBED rip-off, perhaps one of the best next to NIRVANA 2002?! Check 'em out, if you don't have the original MCD!!! Pure Swedish death metal!!!
www.goddefied.com, www.bloodharvest.se, www.myspace.com/goddefiedswe


STENCH OF DECAY
Where Death and Decay Reign, 12"
(Detest Rec. / Me Saco Un Ojo Rec. 2009)

Finland, the country (probably) with the most annoying gothic crap scene, is very seldom on my record-player, but if there is a band, it's in the majority of cases a good one, like old AMORPHIS, ABHORRENCE, DEMILICH, DEMIGOD, old DISGRACE, old BELIAL, ASCENDED or SLUGATHOR. And again, it's a great one! This 12" is the second demo of Pori located STENCH OF DECAY and features three own tracks plus a cover version of ABHORRENCE classic track "Vulgar Necrolatry" (feat. original ABHORRENCE vocalist Jukka Kolehmainen as guest!). And like the original Finnish scene, they play raw and brutal death metal with heavy influences from the UK heroes! To release the demo again as 12" wasn't a mistake, cause this freaks know, how to handle their instruments, the tracks are more varied as many records from nowadays and everything has the right feeling! "Creation of Carnal Lust" starts with a cool atmospheric part, just to get in a crushing mid-tempo double-bass part supported by a raw and dirty sound! They aren't satisfied in playing one riffs three minutes, no, they really want to give you a nice time with many cool ideas and variety! This is a real masterpiece in raw and brutal death metal made in Finland, so watch out, to get hold of the 12", before it's to late! This black wax is limited to 500 copies (tape were limited to 650 copies).
www.myspace.com/stenchofdecay, www.detestrecords.com, www.mesacounojo.com


TRIBULATION
The Horror, LP/CD,Digi-Pak
(Blood Harvest / Pulverised Rec. 2009)

Ok, this band is quite strange. After a more Thrash orientated demo from 2005 ("The Ascending Dead") and a 7" ("Putrid Rebirth") one year later, which was more Death Metal, I saw them playing live in Berlin with ASPHYX, NECROVATION, DROWNED, DEAD CONGREGATION and SLUGATHOR (29. March 2008). This gig was a real killer and every band gave me a serious kick in my ass!!! Some time later in early 2009 I first heard the record and was quite disappointed. I don't really know why, cause when I got the vinyl version, I was blown away from the beginning... The feeling of the record is sooo strong and everything fits together. The guitar section kills with every note, the drumming is more than varied and also the voice sounds raw and brutal and puts everything on a higher level! Just take songs as "The Vampyre", "Sacrilegious Darkness" or "Seduced By The Smell Of Rotten Flesh" they kill in every second without copying the early 90ies scene, but hey they are truly sound like one of this bands!!! Killer release!!! The vinyl version was released as gatefold with a nice 8-page 7"-sized booklet and the die-hard edition was also with a cool coffin-sized poster! Oh yes and last but not least, everything was designed by the band members themselves and in a really, really great way!!!
www.tribulation.se, www.pulverised.net, www.bloodharvest.se, www.myspace.com/soultribulation


TRIBULATION
Putrid Rebirth, 7" (2nd pressing)
(Blood Harvest 2006/2009)

Ah, and after I was to stupid to buy the "Putrid Rebirth" 7" of mighty TRIBULATION in time, I was happy that Blood Harvest released a second pressing of the 7" in August 2009. The material is sounding much more rougher and also the killer instinct of "The Horror" wasn't that big at this time, but hey this four tracks are more that welcome. Especially "Imprisoned In Abhorrence" is a cool track and it's a pity, that this track wasn't rerecorded on the debut! Perhaps they will do it on the second one?! If I'm right, there is no differences between the two pressings! Good release!
www.tribulation.se, www.bloodharvest.se, www.myspace.com/soultribulation


WOMBBATH
Internal Caustic Torments, LP
(bootleg 2009)

Oh yeah, It's always nice to get hold on a record, which you never got earlier, just like the one and only full-length of WOMBBATH from 1993, first time on vinyl! This time it's a bootleg pressing in clear vinyl and in 300 handnumbered copies without any informations or info-sheet... Also WOMBBATH hailing from Sweden, they were more influenced by the American and Britain sound of the early 90ies. Sometimes it reminds me on MASSACRE meets BENEDICTION (you knopw, simple, but catchy, plus the vocals), but also many hints to MORBID ANGEL or NAPALM DEATH. Yes, no ENTOMBED or DISMEMBER here, hehe!
The stuff is mainly mid-paced and with the intent to find a killer riff to place the song around it. And I've to say it's fine with me, cause songs like "As Silent As The Grave" or "Conceal Interior Torments" really kicks some serious ass.
This record is of course not very outstanding, but it's a really cool early 90ies Death Metal release with many good riffs, nice brutal and deep vocals and a great underground flair, which is missing on most of nowadays records! Just ask at wombbathlp@gmail.com or look at http://letargorecords.com, if there are some copies of the record left (I paid 17 Dollar + 11 Dollar postage).
www.myspace.com/wombbathofficial, www.myspace.com/wombbath