Deceased - Up the Tombstones!!! Live 2000
The only thing not to like about this is that each song seems to be completely separated from the rest by a second or two of dead silence. It’s as if they were all recorded at different shows, or at least edited into a different order than they were played. It’s a weird and very distracting thing to do to a live album, and when they mastered this, they should have at least added in some extra crowd noise so that it seemed as if it were all one continuous performance. Other than that bit of insanity (which may or may not have been corrected in later pressings…), we have excellent live versions of songs from the band’s entire career, including the demo track, “Sick Thrash,” and a good cover of the Krokus stinker “Headhunter,” wherein the band manages to inject a touch of Venom to finish it off.
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Decapitated - The First Damned
Fans of Polish Death Metal rejoice! Here we have Decapitated’s The Eye of Horus (1998) and Cemeteral Gardens (1997) demos, along with two live tracks. Admittedly, most of the songs from The Eye of Horus are already available on Relapse’s Polish Assault CD, but that is missing the laser-precise cover of Slayer’s classic “Mandatory Suicide.” Demo compilations are for hardcore fans only, I suppose, but these excellently recorded demo and live songs sound superior to a lot of bands’ albums, and more Decapitated is always better.
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Decapitated - Winds of Creation
There must be something in the water in Poland. I don’t know how else to explain the emergence of so many talented Death Metal bands from that country. Decapitated was formed in 1996, the youngest member at the time being a mere twelve years old! Listening to Winds of Creation, you would never guess that these guys have only been playing together for four years. They play better than bands that have been in the scene for over a decade! This band plays a style of Death Metal that brings to mind a more brutal version of Vader. This is especially true of the vocals, which are monstrous growls. Although there is a Vader influence, these guys inject their own ideas into this style of music, and their sound is absolutely crushing! These guys can play at a skin-peeling pace, throw in some tempo changes, and then grind your bones to dust for good measure. They even do an impressive cover of “Mandatory Suicide.” The production is handled by none other than Peter of Vader. He does an absolutely flawless job with the material. Decapitated’s music hits you in the chest like a jack-hammer! They display a level of technicality unimaginable for their age. Each member of Decapitated could hold his own against some of the better-known musicians in the scene. This band is just incredible in every sense of the word!
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Deadbodieseverywhere - Deadbodieseverywhere
After hearing that this was supposed to be Crust, I had high hopes for its coolness. It’s fast and can be intense, and naturally the vocals are raw, but everything seems completely uninspired.
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Dead Meadow - Dead Meadow
Retro Stoner Groove Rock can, I suppose, be done well. It could be heavy, it could be interesting. Dead Meadow is not any of the above.
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Dead Kennedys - DMPO’s on Braodway (video)
I’ve had a sort of shoddy videotape of this performance for about as long as I can remember, so it’s great to finally see and hear it a bit more clearly. And what a show this was! The “infamous” 1984 last gig at DMPO’s (for the place, not the band) saw American Punk Rock pioneers DK possibly at their peak, with such standouts as “Religious Vomit,” “Moral Majority” and “Life Sentence.” Fourteen songs in all, and Jello’s now-dated, yet still relevant, sociopolitical rants between them. And that crazy guy at the end who just wanted to sing… Truly a classic video, now forever free of tape wear in this new digital format. This review seems almost unnecessary, since all DVD-equipped DK fans will buy this as a matter of course. And non-fans (if such an animal could exist) should probably hurry up and start with the Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death CD.
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Dead Head - Come to Salem
I love stuff like this. Here we have Dead Head’s great The Festering demo from 1990, along with seven bonus tracks recorded throughout their career, including a deadly cover of Slayer’s “Die by the Sword.” This kind of Thrash, with these sick raspy vocals, just isn’t really heard anymore, and that’s a real shame. It’s good to see that someone is smart enough to reissue this.
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Dawn of Dreams (Germany) - Darklight Awakening
Imagine some atmospheric Black Metal unearthed from the ‘93-‘94 era, laced with brutal Death vocals a la Septic Flesh and you have Dawn of Dreams. Very well put together and tightly executed shit here, folks!
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Darkwell - Suspiria
Doomy Gothic Metal, that’s usually kind of light on the Metal, I guess. But in this case, that’s really not as bad as it might sound. The female vocals are very well done, and occasionally the drummer just totally cuts loose, but the mournful guitars might be just slightly too much in the background. If all the songs were as fucking awe inspiring as the title track this would be an easy ten.
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