Exmortis is brutal, fucking fast Death Metal. This is one of the best demos that I have ever received. The band is composed of Brian Werking (lead guitars/ vocals), Ted Hartz (lead guitars), Chris Wiser (bass), Lee Coates (drums) and the new god of cover art: Drew Elliot. Not only are all four songs completely incredible, but the artwork is the best I think I have ever seen! Now, about their sound: imagine Rigor Mortis type of lowness, Death style vocals, Wehrmacht speed and the heaviness of Hell itself. That is almost the Exmortis sound. I forgot the insanely cool intro and outro parts, they are somewhat long, but big fucking deal. This band is on its way and you should be there for the ride. Write to them and order the tape and what ever else you can. Exmortis is the future. If you pass this up, I hope you die slowly.

{Here we have another in a long list of long stories. Exmortis continued on after this, lead by Brain Werking. However, eventually Chris Wiser would split and take the Exmortis name with him. There was a point in time where there were two separate bands, one with Brian and the other with Chris, both claiming to be the “real” Exmortis. And perhaps even more strange is that now no one uses the name. As far as I know, Brian quit to live the family life, and at least some of the members of Chris’ Exmortis went on to other bands.}

[Notes in {curly brackets} are from the Metal Curse 1 - 4 Collected Edition (1999)]

This 7-song demo is very professional looking and sounding. It has a two color cover, a thanks list and all the lyrics. And it was recorded at Morrisound. That should say a lot. I mean, you don’t blow $85 an hour to record a demo if you suck. And Elysium certainly doesn’t suck. Far from it. In fact, they’re really good. I’m sort of reminded of Kreator, musically speaking. As for the vocalist, Terry, is concerned; sometimes he sounds like a slightly less heavy Mille, but mostly he sounds a lot like the vocalist from Sacred Reich. These dudes throw in some slow stuff and have plenty of fast, heavy stuff too. Very interesting, very professional and definitely recommended.

Another Indiana band, this time from Indianapolis. This is their second demo, and is a big improvement over the first. The songs (“Legions of Shame,” “Humanity’s Fate,” “Cryptic Burial,” “Silent War,” “Signs of the Coming,” and “Massacre in Session”) are all very strong, with no weak spots! While not all the songs are played at the speed of light, they are all heavy; really heavy. Since the recording of this demo, Drop Dead have had a line-up change: Kevin now plays guitar and sings too, Kris still plays the drums, and new member Dave is on bass guitar. They are working on songs for a new demo, to be released “sometime soon.” Inspired by Death (the band) and other Death Metal bands, Drop Dead has the potential to be the front of the Death Metal scene. They are sure to get signed soon, so don’t miss out on this, or you will be sorry.

{After one more demo, Our Forgotten Destiny, this band seemed to disappear. Some time later I heard that they were releasing a 7-inch through A.R.T. Records. If I remember correctly, that 7-inch consisted of some already recorded demo tracks (although from what demo, I’m not sure). It likely didn’t do very well for them, as A.R.T. was only a memory not too much later. I’m always a little sad to see bands I like give up. Where are you now, Drop Dead? Also worth noting is that there is a currently active Hardcore/Crust band using the name Drop Dead, and as far as I know, they’ve got nothing to do with this, the original DD.}

[Notes in {curly brackets} are from the Metal Curse 1 - 4 Collected Edition (1999)]

[Please note that the reviews in Metal Curse #1 and #2 did not have numerical ratings.]

This is the remixed CD version of DoP’s first album, and it sounds great. I am a little curious as to what the original mix was like, but this one is just fine. I suppose this is more Thrashy than Ominous Prophecy, however that’s okay with me. Technical, heavy, speedy, and memorable. Even the vocals are good. Check this out.

This album is almost four years old, but has just recently been released here in the States. A two-man project featuring Mick (Scorn, ex-Napalm Death) Harris on drums and vox and Mitch (Napalm Death, ex-Righteous Pigs) Harris (no relation) on everything else, this sounds pretty heavy and there is some extra-cool drum work on here. Musically very fast and Grindy, this turned out very well for as many problems as Mick and Mitch had to suffer to get it recorded and mixed (see liner notes). Very cool for what it is: a Death/Grind project band.

Deceased is composed of Les Snyder (bass), Doug Sather (guitar), Mark Adams (guitar) and King Fowley (drums and vocals). King doesn’t let his singing get in the way of his drumming, which he excels at. All of the songs on the tape are cool, the only problem is it’s sometimes hard to tell where one song ends and the next one starts. This is NOT because all the songs sound the same, but instead because so much is happening in each song: tempo changes galore and breaks of varying lengths as well as tons of different riffs. Perhaps it would be helpful to put a bit more space between the songs. Also the quality of the recording left something to be desired, but this is a demo. Vocally King seems to combine a Death Metal raw growl and a sort of Hardcoreish kind of yell, and it’s cool as Hell. Musically Deceased reminds me of Slayer, Vio-Lence and Nuclear Assault all combined into one. Deceased shows a lot of promise.

{I’d like to think that everyone reading these unhallowed pages knows what has happened to Deceased. To make it short, they were signed by the then small label Relapse, and have had a very impressive series of releases, most notably 1997’s near perfect Fearless Undead Machines. Deceased main man King Fowley also went on to play with the bands Doomstone and October 31, as well as running With Your Teeth Records, Old Metal Records, and publishing the zine Stay True, Stay Ugly, Stay Underground.}

[Notes in {curly brackets} are from the Metal Curse 1 - 4 Collected Edition (1999)]

This is an above average Thrash demo. All four songs remind me a lot of early Metallica and early Megadeth. The vocals sound similar too. Damage shows a lot of energy and all the songs sound good. I have no real complaint about the music or vocals. This is good, solid, basic Thrash.

My only complaint here is that the songs are a bit too long, they tend to lose something because they are carried out for so long. I will say that they are never boring. I even like the vocals. I guess Cardinal Sin is Thrash, or something pretty close to it. I don’t care if they want to call themselves Chamber Music, I like ‘em. The cover is interesting, and lyrics are included. The demo has five songs, the last of which, “Death of Pee Wee Herman,” is pretty strange and uses audio from Mr. Herman himself. Then they kill him. Inspiring.

Cool intro. Musically, I would describe this band by taking a quote from Lawnmower Deth: “Punk As Fuck.” This is excellent stuff. The production is bad, the songs are pretty basic, the lyrics are offensive, and the artwork was done by a serial killer. Now, understand, I like the lyrics and the cover, but I guess I can understand how some people could find them offensive. So to those people I say “Fuck you!” The production flaws and the simplicity of the songs are, for once, very important to the sound. Punk is not about being an awesome guitarist or recording at Morrisound. This is it. This is the real shit. If you can deal with this much reality, then check this out. Bloody Mess & The Skabs have an album out too, so when you ask about this, check for that also. And remember, you were warned. Favorite song: “Cigarette on the Clit.”