Very high-quality demo. Excellent playing, sound, and everything. Entrafis play very intense Thrash, but with more harsh, sort of Death-like, vocals. It’s interesting, and their songs are pretty complex, too, which makes them a bit tough to remember the first time, so you’ll just have to listen to this a lot.

After seeing these guys play live on a recent cross-country trip, I was afraid that this demo would be as terrible as their new live set. I forgot that it was recorded with their old singer, who is, in my humble opinion, much superior to their new guy. Well, musically this is pretty interesting. They have fast drums over mid-paced riffs. I believe that the guys in Internal Bleeding would say that this is “slammy.”

The vastly improved sound on this demo has helped Enthrall out quite a bit. Now their insane Death attack is razor sharp, but still pummels the listener with the force of a thousand baseball bats. This is most evident on the track “Temple of Chaos,” which is also on the rehearsal, so a direct comparison can be made. The two new songs continue in the tradition of heavy and memorable riffs, arranged in an interesting way, and of course Jim’s vocals are just as raw as ever, if not more so. Certainly one of the most interesting true Death Metal demos I’ve heard in quite awhile.

I don’t know how they recorded this rehearsal, but the sound is really not too bad. Enthrall play straightforward Death Metal, but have taken the extra time to really refine each riff, so that they are both heavy and memorable. They combine fast and slow riffs with interesting drums, and truly brutal vocals. I’m anxiously awaiting their next release.

Well, this is way better than their Speak album in pretty much every way. It’s still crap, but at least they have a little energy now. For Industrial-heads only, if then.

Truly amazing Black Metal. Inspirational combination of keyboards and the traditional Black Metal speed and tortured vocals. I have heard some people complain about the production, but I think they may be missing the point. This is even better than the unbelievable split CD with Enslaved.

Haunting, eerie, multi-layered keyboards. Low and high pitched vocals, and cutting, Black-Metal-like screams. It’s weird, that’s for certain, but moving. The lyrics are either from or about Milton’s classic, Paradise Lost. Clearly not for everyone, but I sure like it.

Spanish Death-Thrash from Illinois? Well, now I’ve heard them all. The songs are mostly fast with whiny high -pitched screams for vocals. I’m not sure if any human could stand an entire full-length album of material from these guys, but this 20-minute quickie was definitely worth a listen. ­Me gusta! ­Me gusta!

The riffs remind me of old Metal, perhaps like very early Destruction, but there is also a lot of Folk sounding acoustic guitar. I wouldn’t know to describe this as Black Metal but for the tormented vocals. It’s an intriguing and creative idea, executed to near perfection. Einherjer have really sculpted a unique identity for themselves, and that’s what elevates the great bands from the merely good. Plus, there’s a painting of The Allfather on the cover.

I’m not too sure how to describe these four songs. They cover “Invisible Sun,” and it’s made to be very interesting. The others are more Metalized, but still have a Rocky feel to them. Dan’s voice swings from Death to very melodic (like a Pop vocal) and back, with apparently no effort on his part at all. Pretty cool, but also a little weird. Very memorable, though.

Featuring all the tracks from the split 12-inch with Embittered, and also the tracks from the split 7-inch with Grief, plus five new tracks, this CD is a hell of a deal for only 9 bucks. Oh, you’ll want to know what the music is like, I suppose. Okay, these guys sort of crossover from extreme Hardcore to Death Metal, by way of maybe Napalm Death’s Scum album. It’s as intense as fuck, and usually as fast, or sometimes as slow. Also, the level of musicianship is abnormally high for this kind of stuff, as is the creativity. These guys are really beyond words. Anyone who samples from both The Blues Brothers and The River’s Edge (in the same song no less!) is clearly on a level above that of other bands, even if they do have one of those crazy “hidden” tracks 10 minutes after the last listed song. You’ve got to hear this.

Slow, atmospheric Death Metal. The keyboards are eerie, the vocals raw, and the riffs heavy. ‘Nuff said.

Well, these guys are trying. Trying to be heavy, trying to write good lyrics. I hate to do this, but for the most part, it’s simply not there. They can write interesting songs, but the vocals sometimes ruin them. In the first song, much of the lyrics are sort of spoken over the music, which, at least in this case, sounds horrible. Vocally the second track is great. The vocals are mostly low register, and covered in mucous, but the lyrics are no good. By the next track, the music is not as heavy, and someone else must be doing the vocals, as they are now utterly different, and not very interesting (at best). What this band should do is just pick out all the really best parts from these songs, get the good singer (from song #2) to do all the vocals, and work on the lyrics. Then they will be the “riff heavy and vocal pounding music” they currently claim to be.

Ahh, a little drum machine powered Death Metal. You know I’ve got to like that. Well, these guys are the “Lords of Chaos” all right. I thought the entire first song was some sort of intro, and the actual song would begin any second now, and I guess in some ways that is correct, as the second track, the aforementioned “Lords of Chaos,” is more song-like. Actually sorta fast, really. They kind of Grind in some places. All the songs are pretty different, some fast as hell, some very slow, but not all their ideas really work that well. However, most of them do. Honestly, all this band needs is a little time to figure out what works for them and what doesn’t. Or maybe to ignore any advice and do their own thing.

Side one of this blue vinyl disc is a vicious Hardcore attack, which I think may have been what Ice-T was trying for with Body Count. The sound is beyond belief. This is what quality vinyl sounds like. Side two is a spoken work discussion about rape and the American society set on top of a song, something like Dead Kennedys’ “Kinky Sex Makes the World Go ‘Round.” I’d not heard Downset before, but I think I’d better correct that. Hey, you get a free sticker, too.

This five-song Thrash attack is made really special by the excellent vocals of Cliff, who is emotional and powerful, and never sounds wimpy, as some Thrash singers can. The musicianship is very high, and the songs are all memorable. The production is even good, and they go that extra step and write all-new riffs, which means that, no, the title track is not a Slayer cover.

A little old-style Black Death, anyone? How about 2 live songs on side two? I found their Those Whom Satan Hath Joined album to drag on a bit, but this seemed more intense. The live tracks even sound pretty good, the vinyl is translucent green, and the intro sample will be worth the price by itself.

I hope I have the name of the band correct. All I had to go by was the logo, and it’s pretty hard to really be sure what the first and fourth letters are supposed to be. On with the review. These are slow, minimalistic tracks from the same demented mind who has brought us Dawn, Moon Toadstools, Bloody Zombie Ritual, Boer Knol, Fictionizer, Kryptopterus, Schadelfahne, Witchcraft Vulture, and of course Steinbock. It’s really a lot more calm, due to the lack of speed, yet is still unnerving enough to know that it’s Steinbock.

After the two-and-a-half-minute Ambient intro, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the rest of the disc. One second into the second track, I was pummeled by an unrelenting Death Metal strike. The music: Tight, precise -even memorable- but with the menace of a chainsaw. The vocals: Bleak, raw, and demonic - in a word, excellent.

I don’t remember that much of their previous LPs, although I guess I must have heard a song or two over the years. This is standard radio-friendly shit, but the musicianship is really good. The vocals are laughable, though. I suggest dumping Mr. Dork-ken, and going all instrumental. They could pull it off.