To be honest I am not fond of slow meditative kind of Doom Metal. Though it's well played and has an interesting lyrical conception that deals with some philosophical aspects of the human being. As I've noticed the 4-piece band concentrates more on the calm yet moody passages, but sometimes they spiced them up with great acoustic tunes, which are very good in my opinion. Well, if you like abstract philosophical Doom Metal then go ahead and get this 6-song demo!

On this 4-way split release you can get acquainted with four Magadan-based bands. DISSECTOR opens Side A and offers us 5 well-constructed songs mainly into Thrash-influenced Heavy Metal. You can find in their repertory some strange things as well, for example samples and electronic ingredients. ÂËÀÄ follows them with one track in the so-called Russian Heavy Metal style. Side B begins with the repertory of ÇÀÂÎÄÑÊÈÅ ÊÀËÅÑÀ. To be honest, their rock-oriented 3-song stuff doesn't impressed me at all. Too soft so to say. And finally comes FOBIA. This band deserves the attention as they play an interesting kind of Thrash/Death Metal full of great yet unordinary guitar-riffs. In a word, if you ain't familiar with metal bands from Magadan then here's the chance to discover their music and to know more about their metal scene.

First of all, thousands of thanks go to Goden (ETERNAL FROST Webzine) who sent me this cool demo. Catchy and ultra melodic Death Metal in the likes of early DARK TRANQUILLITY materials is what ARGHOSLENT offers us on this great 7-song demo. The five hell-creatures - Mertaugh (guitars), Stauffer (drums), Halac (guitars), Kitts (vocals) & Huff (bass) - display a high level on their instruments and what's more they're thoughtfully injected a bunch of fantastic thrash riffs into the entire material of "Arsenal of Glory". The overall production of the demo is remarkable and deserves the recognition amongst the fans of melodic Death Metal. So get in touch with this excellent Death Metal band.

I got this cool compilation tape from Kritsakorn of BASTARD 'zine. It features 15 tracks in circa 60 minutes. The bands are the following: SCURVY (Brutal Death/Grind; Sweden), GROT (Insane Grind; England), ANTISOCIAL (Death Metal; Thailand), MENTAL DEMISE (Brutal Death/Grind; Ukraine), DARK MYSTERY (Raw Black Metal; Thailand), CRANIAL TORMENT (Slow Death Metal; Greece), CASTRUM (Medieval Death Metal, Ukraine), GHOR (Brutal Death/Grind; France), FORGOTTEN SPIRIT (Symphonic Black Metal; Ukraine), HERETIC ANGELS (Neurotic Death/Black; Thailand), FLATULATION (Brutal Death; France), GOREROTTED (Brutal Death/Grind; England), GORTIA (Raw Black Metal; Thailand), AGATHOCLES (Mince core; Belgium) and KIBOSH SIBYL KISMET (Melodic Black/Death; Singapore). As you noticed there's a big variety in styles. Yeah, it was great to listen to such exotic bands as KIBOSH SIBYL KISMET, DARK MYSTERY or HERETIC ANGELS. But in my opinion SCURVY, GOREROTTED and MENTAL DEMISE are reached the best achievements.

The Swedish chainsaw demons have finally returned. Their new 6-track demo will travel you to the most extreme dimensions of Black Metal. There are 3 unholy creatures involved in this hellish effort, namely Master Motorsåg (pissed off & burning, chainsaw execution), Doomanfanger (666 barbwire-axe, 4 eastern-front attacks) and Warslaughter (atomic power explosions & darkness). Side Final includes "Slaughter Mass" (a hyper fast yet brutal tune with insane vocalizing), "Slaining the Life" (a traditional BM song with fine chainsaw effects) and "Necroslut" (a great song with catchy SODOM-like riffs), while Side Solution features "Morbid Chainsaw Extermination" (another brutal tune with a fantastic refrain), "Chainsaw Enforcer" (that song should be a hymn for the chainsaw maniacs, it's for sure) and "Rest in W.A.R." (a short grinding track). I like their stuff very much, 'cause it sounds extreme plus rather unordinary, and I am sure about the fact that most of you will like it the same way. The ones who admire the materials of such old-school bands as SODOM, IMPALED NAZARENE or NIFELHEIM will be definitely pleased by this 6-tracker too. Genuine Black/Thrash stuff with maximum aggression & brutality! This masterpiece comes with a good sound quality and b/w cover.

Originally this item should be reviewed in the vinyl section since it was released as a split 7" EP with SUICIDAL WINDS. However I decided to review it here as I got only the songs of BESTIAL MOCKERY. Well, there are 3 stylistically varied songs from this Swedish cult band there. The first one "Nuclear Goat" is a surprisingly slow tune with lots of groovy guitar riffs mainly reminiscent of UNLEASHED. No doubt, it's a Death Metal tune! Then comes "Father in Heaven" in the traditional BESTIAL MOCKERY way, i.e. with fast chainsaw riffing, blasting drumming and extra sick screams. It follows the new version of "Shrapnel Fire", which got even a more raging interpretation as on "Chainsaw Demons Return" demo '98. Excellent old-school Black/Death/Thrash material played from heart! At the end of the tape there's also enclosed their special comp. track called "Possessed with Erection", which has been featured on "...from the Underground" CD released by X-treme Records. This track delivers us another infernal nightmare kept in the old good spirit of Black/Thrash style. I can advise BESTIAL MOCKERY exclusively for the die-hard old-school metal fans!

The roots of BEYOND DARKNESS lead us to 1992, when Shoji and Takuo formed their Death/Thrash band called DARK RITUAL. After having released 3 demos they decided to form a new band. So BEYOND DARKNESS was born in 1998. Its actual line-up consists of Shoji Hoshiyama (vocals, guitar), Kenji Aoyagi (lead guitar), Hikaru Yada (bass) and Takuo Itoh (drums). On their first demo they present us 3 melodic gothic-influenced Heavy Metal tracks in nearly 25 minutes. These compositions have been precisely worked out and arranged. As for the goals of the band I can say they definitely lay in the good use of slow yet mid-tempo guitar riffs and clear-type vocals. Their material has a relaxing character mainly because of the abstract atmosphere and thoughtful solos of Kenji. To all this you should also add the fantastic sound production and decent packaging.

This Olsztyn-based band features Shadow (vocals, bass, keyboards), Mateusz (session guitar in 1st track), Wojtek (session guitar in other tracks) and Docent (session drums programming). By the words of Shadow they play "Holocaust Dark Magic Metal", but for simplicity I would say that their 8-song material is sound like an old-school Death/Black stuff with a big dose of keyboard effects and harmonies. Side A contains 5 mid-paced Death/Black songs full of drum breaks, plain CELTIC FROST-like guitar riffs and evil vocal parts; while side B represents some really dark tunes with a definite ambient-character. The demo sounds in an excellent way being recorded at the famous Selani studio. Anyway the music itself is too varied, so I can advise this stuff for both Black and ambient fans as well.

BLACK FIRE comes from Thailand and plays into-your-face brutal Death Metal. However this characterization goes well only for 3 songs out of 4. These first three tracks show the brutal side of the band with ultra deep growls, blasting drumming & heavy guitar riffs (lyrics for them are in Thai language), while the last track "Agony" (with English written lyrics) looks like a love song featuring lots of romantic & emotional parts. Moreover, it comes along with clear-type vocals. It's not a band song at all, but it doesn't fit too much to their so-called brutal Death Metal approach, even if they used some grinding drum parts at the end of it. Anyway, it's a quality Death Metal material from an exotic band. So check it out! On this record their line-up is: Pornprom Ekawat (vocals), Nuttapoom Prapaiboon (guitars), Suriyapong Sriprapan (guitars), Pongpan Eamehaug (bass) and Prakriat Tesukanun (drums).

This 5-song demo includes a strange mix of Black & Death Metal from Louisiana's BLOODSIMPLE. Groovy, mid-paced guitar riffs spiced with dynamic drumming are the basic elements of this stuff. The vocals partly come in rasping, scream-like way or like deep growls for a few moments. The drawling yet melancholic atmosphere makes this stuff really memorable and interesting all the way. As a demo it sounds rather good. Preferred tracks: "Misanthrope" (there's also a few cool acoustic parts there) and "Forgotten Sanctity". The members are Josh Lavespere (lead vocals/lead guitar), Kris Stevenson (rhythm guitar/backing vocals), Brandon Sharon (bass guitar), Jeremy White (session drums) and Colt Fontenot (live drums). The cost of the demo is CD $10, tape $8 (Overseas), $8 and $5 for the USA.

An impressive debut demo done by a great Hungarian Death Metal quintet, namely CASKETGARDEN. The band's line-up includes Attila Cseh (drums), István Cseh (vocals), Péter Musitz (guitar), Csaba Szabó (bass) and Balázs Tóth (lead guitar). Combining the marks of AT THE GATES and DISMEMBER with some own ideas these guys achieved a similar atmosphere in their 4-song repertory as the before mentioned bands on their albums in 1995 (of course, with less originality and sound quality). Nevertheless, it's a well done demo that worth of your interest!

The band is still under the big influence of AT THE GATES' brilliant "Slaughter of the Soul" album. Their new 6-song EP was recorded in Sturovo, Slovakia (so the sound is very good!) with the same line-up as it was on their debut demo. This time they reached a fantastic level of songwriting on "... Of Grief" that is amazingly close to the "Slaughter..." album, of course. Moreover, it could be the continuation of AT THE GATES' spirit & legacy. If so, then CASKETGARDEN is something like a reincarnation of AT THE GATES in 2000. Indeed! Why not?!!! Although I found some GRAVE-like riffs in track "Crystallies" and here and there the solos of Balázs Tóth reminded me David Blomqvist's style of soloing from DISMEMBER. But overall it's a decent release with flawless tracks like "Grotesque Soul Embodied" and "I Witness". Warmly recommended stuff for the fans of above mentioned bands as well as for the ones who like the melodic kind of Death Metal! The tape has a well-designed color cover with lyrics, photo and additional info.

This demo combines just from two songs, but what songs? To be honest it is the best demo I ever heard from a Hungarian band. Amazing how skilled are the musicians of CAVUM. Its line-up gathers such persons as Szilárd Ványi (guitar), Tamás Horváth (bass), Olivér Ziskó (drums) and András Nagy of SEAR BLISS on vocals. They present 2 fantastic jazz-influenced Death Metal compositions there that musically should be placed at one level with the mighty materials of CYNIC, ATHEIST and PESTILENCE. Right! We're speaking about progressive yet futuristic Death Metal here. You'll bump into an indescribable atmosphere and supreme art of Metal music that surely bears all the trademarks of technical Death Metal and Jazz. To all this I can add the potential use of cosmic-like effects and thoughtful lyrics. Both tracks, namely "Irregular Personality" and "Orbital Eccentricity", include overcomplicated riff structures as well as precisely played bass and drum parts. I have to say it's a flawless material that deserves to be known between the fans as more as possible. No doubt, it's a must for every fans of progressive Death Metal! Labels! Give a chance for this band!

The new professionally released CRAWLSPACE stuff includes 6 Death 'n' Roll tracks and lasts about 23 minutes. The band is: Leif (bass & vocals), Patrick (guitar & vocals) and Dirk (drums). They managed to get an incredibly tough yet heavy sound production for "Death 'n' Roll". Musically the band does something similar as ENTOMBED on their "Wolverine Blues" album. They combine groovy Death Metal riffs along with rock 'n' roll- and blues-like patterns. Very interesting mix so to say, which comes in a powerful and elaborated way. Moreover the members show a play-from-your-heart attitude that makes their material more than enjoyable. Buy it right now or be dead! Preferred tracks: "Farewell to the Flesh" & "Born in Pain and Loved to Death". By the way, the CD comes with a pro-done color cover and a well-designed lyric-sheet.

Out of Finland comes this young but all the more promising Heavy/Doom Metal act. Musically the trio - Juho Kinnarinen (vocals/guitar), Jukka Tolppanen (bass) and Sami Puolakka (drums) - creates similar kind of tunes as for example their fellows from SENTENCED. Anyway, I should stress that here we have something more original. Maybe it is because the raw sound and strange atmosphere that came from their 4-song demo in general. These songs have been structured really thoroughly and are great to listen to, though the drummer plays a bit inaccurate here and there. Nevertheless, I think it's a good demo despite of the short playing time (circa 14 minutes). If you're into melodic Doom with clear vocals and memorable tunes than it's for you. Anyone interesting in obtaining of this cool demo-CD is encouraged to contact CRIMSON.

CRIPPLE CHRIST plays Brutal Death Metal in the vein of classic DEICIDE materials. Moreover their lyrics deal with antichristian things too. What a similarity? Well, you can listen to 4 crushing Death Metal songs there. There are no keyboards, female vocals or shit like that just the pure brutality & aggression. The only annoying thing goes out to the weak drum-machine sound used during these killer tracks. Anyway it's warmly advised for fans of DEICIDE!

This 6-song demo reminded me a lot the old good times. CRYPTIC plays old-fashioned Death Metal with Thrash influences. Moreover, the trio, - Nate (bass/vocals/keyboards), Mike (rhythm/lead guitars) and Aaron (lead/rhythm guitars), - has been definitely influenced by early MORBID ANGEL materials at that time, especially by the classic "Altars of Madness" album. They follow the traditions of this great album not only in their music but lyrics-wise as well. I should say they are rather skilled musicians. Just listen to "Into the Abyss", the title track or the remarkable instrumental-like "Ishtar" songs. Very good bass- and soloing-work were performed there too. It's a decent demo, no doubt! Unfortunately, CRYPTIC no longer exists as of July '98. And as the result, a new band, THE CRYPT, was born from the ashes of CRYPTIC by bassist/vocalist Nate, but has not recorded any new material.

The split begins with 5 songs from the Russian Doom/Black act called ÄÀÂÎÐÈß. Unfortunately, this 6-piece band doesn't able to create anything new, not heard before. Their repertory is full of 10 years old things. So I'll better skip them. ORTHODOX continues the tape with 4 songs into melodic Doom Metal. Well, they're also not too original, but still combine some great elements to their music. Lots of slow meditative guitar passages, emotional female vocals, clear bass tunes, plain drum rhythms and acoustic guitar parts characterize their stuff. The sound is OK for both bands and the tape comes with a decent b/w cover. So fans of ultra slow Doom Metal are encouraged to check this split out.

This Thai-based one-man Black Metal band formed back in '95. Yet only in '99 came out its first demo. The mastermind behind DARK MYSTERY is Lord Legendary (all instruments, vocals). He created 4 unholy songs in the vein of Norwegian Black Metal materials circa 1992-1994 period. That means you'll find there raw yet raging Black Metal with inhuman screaming vocals. The sound is also similar to that period of time. So chainsaw guitar-sound is guaranteed. Do you wish to take a journey into the castle of sorrows? If so, then take your pen and write a letter to DARK MYSTERY.

On DEATHSAINT's 6-song material you can get acquainted with a decently executed symphonic kind of Black/Death Metal. The quartet does everything on a quality level, though the use of the drum-machine makes their sound mechanic in general. After the meditative effect-based intro the band initiates us into 3 fast and ultra-melodic Black/Death tunes, which have been spiced up by the folk-motivated instrumental song "Pagan Fears, Pagan Dreams" plus a rather calm outro. The band mainly operates with marvelous keyboard passages, high-pitched rasping vocals, artful bass lines and opulently tuneful guitar riffs there. Unfortunately, there's a lack of originality in most of their compositions and that fact reflects badly on the overall production. Nevertheless, I can advise this 19 minutes stuff to every fan into the keyboard-filled type of Death/Black Metal.

DEFINITON SANE has born out from the ashes of ALL DIES. Its line-up features Alexey (growls), Igor (guitar), Pavel (guitar), Dmitry (bass) and Yury (drums). Right here I should point out that this demo was recorded in the well-known Beat Studio (Kharkov). So it sounds pretty fair! "The Trial" combines 8 technical Death Metal tracks in the vein of early CANNIBAL CORPSE materials, though there's a big influence of Swedish melodic Death Metal acts as AT THE GATES or DARK TRANQUILLITY in their music as well. The guitar riffs are quite complex and well constructed I would say. As for the vocals, they ranging mainly from the deep in ass growls to some blackish shrieks and screams. The rhythm section is all right as well. But to be honest, I don't like the disturbing sound of the cymbals, which are too loud sometimes and thus the drums drown in its noise. To sum it up, it's a decently done demo that could be even better (as for its overall sound) with a more professional mixing. Nevertheless, I warmly advise it to any Death Metal freaks! Preferred tracks: "...Remember the Pain", "Veil of Apathy" and "Wait...".

Another great band from Magadan. This promising quartet - Yan (vocals, guitar), Polkovnik (guitar), Stas (bass) and Urlich (drums) - plays melodic Heavy Metal with definite Thrash Metal influences. They deliver us 9 riff-oriented songs spiced up with amazing soloing work, pummeling bass lines, devastating drumming and die-hard vocalizing. Songs like "Universal Mourn", "Tomorrow Will Change Nothing" or the title track "Born. Pay" will entice you to listen to this band again and again. It's a good quality material, which should be praised by most of the metal fans.

Attila Petheõ (guitar/bass/vocals) is the only responsible person behind this doomsday celebration. He managed to come up with a fantastic sound production and song-writing technique. His musical influences are definitely came from the fundaments of Doom Metal. I noticed the strong influence of such Doom monsters as MY DYING BRIDE and ANATHEMA in his 4-song creation. It's a very well composed stuff having a drum-machine basis that not sounds too mechanic, thus giving a chance to fling open his songs in all aspects. Good demo!

I got this cool split release from Martin (vocalist of DRACO HYPNALIS). Beside him there are Ivos (bass, programming) and Mira (guitars, keyboards, programming) in the rows of DRACO HYPNALIS. This resolute trio opens the split. They play aggressive but still with lots of melodies Black Metal in their 6 well-composed songs. To achieve a tougher sound they used accompanying keyboard parts. Anyway they don't exaggerate them, as most of the black bands are like to do. And in contrast with lots of so-called true Black Metal bands they do a big emphasis on the professional playing and thoughtful structuring of songs. Thus you can listen to cool tunes all along. But what impressed me the best is goes to the extra vicious screams of Martin. They are unbelievably gruesome ones. Another exciting thing is involved in their "Oracle of Inner-Bonded Blue Flame" tune, where they used a Vivaldi theme from "The Four Seasons" masterpiece. Technical Black Metal at it's best! Side B is reserved for ROMANTIC LOVE. With such a sentimental bandname one would expect a Doom or Gothic-oriented stuff. Despite this we got 4 ultra technical and brutal Death Metal songs. Surprised? Me too. The trio - Petr Prus (guitar, vocals), Jirí Pospech (guitar, lead vocals) & Lukás Jelínek (drums, growling vocals) - professionally mixes their own ideas along with the heritage of such well-known acts as ATHEIST, SADIST and CYNIC. That means they experimenting with lots of musical styles beginning from jazz and ending with grindcore. Moreover they do it quite well and thus managed to get a fantastic alloy of unordinary elements in the framework of their futuristic Death Metal approach. Progressive brutality with maximum originality! Preferred tracks: "Return" and "Blindness".

This is the third demo of the Czech Death/Thrash band F.O.B. And I should say they astonished me quite a lot with their new 7-song material. Everything is totally professional there. The sound production is outstanding and the songs are extremely well constructed. So music-wise their progression is more than audible. Moreover, their songs got a more complex and yet brutal character with lots of fantastic solos, catchy guitar riffs and some crazy grinding drum parts. The vocal parts have progressed as well. Now they come in a deeper growling way compared, for example, to their previous "Fobia" demo '97. The members of F.O.B. are still the same, i.e. Kouc (vocals & rhythm guitar), Bendis (lead guitar), Corbow (bass & vocals) and Márty (drums). I think this band is ripe for a CD release. Labels!!! Hurry up and get in touch with them!

Alex of GENOCIDE sent me this tape, but unfortunately with a minimal information about it. So I'll do some conclusions starting from their music itself. "World Chaos" contains 7 songs into melodic Thrash/Death Metal. These songs are professionally played & arranged and display a very strong musicianship. The overall sound production and mix have been carefully executed. To all this you can add a fantastic soling-work, which plays quite a big role in their repertory. Believe me these solos are worth to check out! Just listen to songs as "World War-III", "No Law" or "World Chaos", but I can restfully list here the other left songs as well as they are also remarkable ones. Thoughtful guitar riffs, chaotic bass lines and catchy drum parts are the characteristics of GENOCIDE's music. Recommended for fans of melodic Thrash/Death Metal! This stuff has been recently out on Moon Records in MC format.