I’m a little behind in reviewing this. Well, a lot behind. Anyway, Avatar play something you have forgotten about: Thrash. I mean the real kind. There are no distorted vocals, or posing “tough guys” within a thousand miles of this demo, and that is as it should be. If you want to hear some well constructed songs, played and sung with a great deal of emotion, then look no further. Okay, I’ll admit that sometimes the lyrics are not up to the standard of the music, but don’t let that stop you from checking out this talented band.

Everyone reading this should already own these releases, so this review is moot. But, because I guess not everybody has heard of Autopsy, I’ll review it anyway: This band is one of the earliest Death Metal units, and their drummer/singer Chris played for Death on their first album. This is a combination of their first LP and EP. So what more do you need to know? Both these releases are the definition of “classic.” Don’t wait any longer.

Very progressive musically, and thoughtful lyrically. This is a great release, but I have no idea to whom this will appeal. It is neither raw nor accessible enough to do very well. They are extremely talented and are able to create interesting songs. You really should check this out if you ever desire anything other than blast beats, gore or Satan.

Okay, so not all my reviews are totally up to date, I know that. Anyway, these gentlemen play intense Death Metal, and do a great job of it. One guy plays drums, and the other does all the rest. I look forward to hearing more from this deadly duo.

Still very intense, memorable, and well recorded Death Metal. Much better production than on their Drowning… demo, and the songs have improved this time as well. As before, excellent vocals: Raw and powerful, yet understandable. Once or twice the lyrics take a leave from coolness (Alicia is still present.), but basically this is great. Don’t miss out.

Here we have two songs of heavy, hauntingly Doomy music, which aren’t exactly Metal of any kind. Also, the vocals are as melodic as possible. Somehow they manage to pull it off and this sounds great. I don’t know how this style would hold up on a full length release, but these two tracks are excellent.

I’m confused. These guys seem to really like Satan, yet their flyer says that this demo, “contains five songs created with the intention of undermining all righteous and pious individuals who worship the lord of lies.” Umm, guys, Satan is the Lord of Lies, so does that mean that you’re really good guys? [I really was confused! -Editor] That aside, what we have here is mid-tempo Death, that is played and recorded well, with an occasionally memorable riff.

Thick production and brutal music. Raw vocals. Not exactly a new idea, and more variation with the drums would be appreciated, but these songs are fierce - a lot of energy went this recording and it shows. A little time to develop is all that this band needs.

The press-kit which accompanied this claimed that this is a nine-song release on CD only. Well I got an 8-song tape to review. Oh yeah, the press-kit also said this is “…a must have for any Death Metal fan.” Maybe I just got the wrong thing in my package, because this is pretty dismal, although it has moments where it’s only boring.

These guys don’t fuck around. From the very first second, this is total devastation. Utterly extreme Grinding Death, that actually has a second or two which is memorable. To really appreciate this band, they must be seen live, since they are zombies, and their bassist disembowels himself with a screwdriver between songs and eats a handful of his own guts (no shit!), but this recording goes pretty far toward capturing that level of intensity. Pretty fucking sick.

These guys have a real talent for writing extremely catchy riffs, and memorable songs. Styles of music and vocals are both varied from Thrash to Death, with a serious leaning toward Thrash, but the production is so thick, it makes this sound really heavy. Occasionally the drums speed up for a quick blast. All nine songs kill, but my favorite is the utterly stunning “Abominated Son.”

Their singer sounds like he is trying to emulate the newer work of Paradise Lost’s Nick Holmes, which is not always a bad thing, but sometimes he doesn’t sound quite right. Musically, this is a high voltage Thrash outfit, with, I believe, a bit of old-style Punk thrown in for the hell of it.

The first thing I noticed is that this is missing a track from the European version of Serenades, the Ambient “Dreaming: The Romance” (which is over 23 minutes long). I would rather have all of one album than parts of two. I realize that this disc is over 75 minutes long, so there obviously isn’t room for anything else on here, but why not release all of Serenades by itself, and put the track exclusive to this release, “All Faith is Lost,” on a separate CD, along with the Crestfallen tracks? Anyway, these guys are pretty Doomy, and very heavy. In places this sounds like the first Cathedral album, but they certainly bring their own style to that sound.

Another of the Relapse Underground Series. This total Noise / Grind is a bit more musical than I had expected. It sounds like some of the songs were thought out a little before they were recorded, so this is not really Noise in the classic Nuclear Winter sense. But of course it is still extremely raw and I dig it.

If this had come out in the mid- or late-’80s, it really might have been impressive, but it all sounds a little obsolete now. On the other hand, Screams and Whispers does show Anacrusis to have a flair for melodic and progressive composition, and the twin guitars are mixed into separate channels for maximum headphone freakout appeal. Lyrically, they explore the usual contemporary progressive terrain of perception and paradox (cf. Rush, Dream Theater) without adding anything new. An extra-long track or an instrumental might have made this sound less ordinary.

This is how Izzy Stradlin would sound, were he on Taang! Records. And then there is side two, which is a “Pop song,” sans any sort of catchiness. However, it’s pressed on a cool marbled grey/black vinyl, and has decent sound quality.

Everything here is okay, but just that. Nothing really stands out, but nothing is bad either. They are competent musicians, but need something to make them a little more memorable. The occasional vocal embarrassments don’t help any. There is no address on the tape, and there is no J-card…

Much like with the last review [of 1994’s Redemption], this may not be a demo, and I wasn’t really too sure of the title, since it didn’t seem to have one. But, these songs are just as moving as those on Redemption, and although I might have advised S.A. to not say “paste the glass,” (whatever that means) so many times in a row in the song of the same name, this is still a very entertaining collection.

[Note: After some research, I think that this is 1993’s Exiled on Green Street album. -Editor]

This is pretty awesome: Fast, memorable, and well produced music, coupled with powerfully raw vocals. This tape has no address on it, and the accompanying letter is missing, so if anyone knows how to find this great Death Metal band, let me know! Each of the 9 nine songs is amazing.

[This cassette itself has been lost in the mists of time, but it seems likely that this was an advance copy of the band’s 1993 Engraved in Black album. -Editor]

Not to be confused with the Accursed from Wisconsin. This Accursed play Satanic Death Metal, as they call it. Well, they certainly do a great job. The production is excellent, the songs are mostly fast, and these guys are excellent musicians. I’m especially impressed with Jim’s bass playing. Of course, any band where the singer also plays bass is guaranteed to be very cool. To many, the demo cover will be worth the $5 all by itself.