Finally, Czech underground label Nasphyr Records did Dementor's early material justice by releasing it on vinyl. They started with the band's second demo, "Morbid Infection", originally released in 1993 under the title "Chorobná nákaza". It consists of 6 songs, which were recorded in the famous Slovak studio Exponent. The demo line-up is as follows: Jaro Kyselica (vocals), Roman Lukác (guitar), René Blahušiak (guitar), Luboš Gazdík (bass) and Roman Gazdík (drums). On this demo, the band had not yet forged their unique death metal style, but they were well on their way. The title track kicks off side A, which is a great song with some thrash influences here and there. "Predestined Future" follows, with lots of mid-tempo drum patterns, catchy guitar riffs and solos. Jaro's grunt was already sick as hell, like a real caveman. "Soul Insanity" is the third song where René and Roman's riffs begin to noticeably shape Dementor's future style. Side B opens with the Obituary-like riffs of "Altars of Death". This song is a bit monotonous for me, but it's still good, I would especially highlight the solo here, because it turned out really badass. "Birth of the Messenger of Death" is the fifth cut, another track with Obituary influences and some "Harmony Corruption" type Napalm Death riffing. The final composition is "Fate Sealed by Fool" and with its five and a half minutes it is the longest piece. This is a pretty solid death metal track with fantastic solos and a gloomy outro. A new cover was used for the vinyl version, from one of Gustave Doré's woodcuts. The original artwork can also be found on the printed inner sleeve, along with the lyrics and a cool band photo. The vinyl itself is standard black at 45 rpm. Needless to say, this vinyl is definitely a must have for Dementor fans!!!

"The Church Dies" is my personal favorite from Dementor. Originally released on cassette by Immortal Souls Productions in 1994, it is also the debut long play of the Slovak death metal pioneers. The album lasts over 32 minutes and consists of 8 well-crafted death metal tracks that sound fantastic thanks to the Exponent studio. I can't say enough how much I love the songs and sound production on this album. The energy and dynamics of this record are simply flawless. And now, for the first time, we can enjoy these songs on black vinyl courtesy of Nasphyr Records. This masterpiece was recorded by the following members: Jaro Kyselica (vocals), Roman Lukác (guitar), René Blahušiak (guitar), Roman Thorn (drums) and Robo Janicik (session bass). They did a perfect job, as did their producer Tomáš Kmet. There are four songs on each side and the song titles are "Mortal Melody", "The Law of Karma", "The Church Dies", "Robbed After Death", "Rotting God", "Darkness", "Revived for Condemnation" and "Discoveries of Catastrophe". The kind of death metal they play is closer to traditional, of course their songs are also well equipped with brutality, but the overall picture is still about majestic riffs, melodic solos, elaborate drumming and sly bass lines. Jaro's growls took on a slightly different character compared to the demo '93, they became much more expressive and characteristic, if I may say so. His pronunciation in English is quite strange, but at one point it makes their material unique. Most of their lyrics are of course antichristian, but this can already be understood from the album's title. This vinyl edition features original artwork by Ján Sakmár and includes a printed inner sleeve with lyrics, member photos and a band photo. This is a sparkling death metal gem from Slovakia that is not only a must for every loyal Dementor fan, but highly recommended for all death metal fans worldwide!!!

I've previously written reviews of Immortal Souls Productions' 1997 CD version and their 2021 reissues on MC/CD, so I'm taking a slightly different approach and focusing more on the pros and cons of the vinyl version. Let me start by saying that it feels really good to finally have Dementor's second full-length album on vinyl. Like previous Dementor vinyls, it was released by Nasphyr Records. This is the first time this blasphemous death metal record is available on vinyl. The vinyl itself is black and spins at 33+1/3 rpm. There are 4 songs – "In the Name of God", "Kill the Thought on Christ", "The Law of Karma" & "The Lost Humanity" – on side A, and 5 songs – "Fate of Emptiness", "Rotting God", "Suppuration of My Soul", "Mortal Melody" & "Prometheus (Tublatanka cover)" – on side B. On this album, the band's line-up shrank to a trio (although they once again used the services of a session bassist, namely Hans Šeliga), and from the beginning only the guitarist René Blahušiak remained, who also performed well as a singer starting with this record. So his comrades-in-arms became guitarist Roman Calpaš (who also did some backing vocals) and drummer Jozef Piroš. This material was recorded at Pro Art Studio with producer Miloš Rojko. The whole musical concept and even the sound production became much more vicious than on the debut album. René's growling took on a rather brutal character, and his lyrics became even more blasphemous, but I think this is already evident from the album's title and cover art. The guitars sound very powerful and massive, but Jozef's drumming somehow lacks energy and dynamics. Nevertheless, "Kill the Thought on Christ" is a killer death metal release that I can only recommend. This vinyl edition has a printed inner sleeve with all the lyrics except for the Tublatanka cover and photos of the band and members. Unfortunately, I discovered too many mistakes and typos in the lyrics, which made me a little sad, since it is a vinyl release. Otherwise this is a great release and you better get it before it's too late!!!

It's been two years since the release of "Diabolical", but the German thrash metal quartet already hinted that they will release a new album in 2025, which is now preceded by a magnificent two-track EP, entitled "No Kings – No Masters". Destruction's line-up has remained unchanged since 2021, consisting of the invincible forces of Schmier (vocals/bass), Damir Eskic (guitar), Martin Furia (guitar) and Randy Black (drums). Well, the new song "No Kings – No Masters" unsurprisingly follows the musical path of the previous album, but with an even fresher, 2024 approach, with a much more modern sound, that is, their perspective on how German thrash metal should be represented and played today. It starts with a combination of their trademark parts, with Randy's crash cymbal accents under the opening guitar riff, backed of course by Schmier's massive low end attacks, then once the crazy drum fill kicks in, they start wreaking havoc. The rest of the composition is structured quite routinely, but in the middle of the song, starting with the words 'Say No, No Way, Say No', the guitar riffing and drums jump into a fantastic gallop, followed by a distinctly heavy metal-flavored solo. Continuing in the magic of heavy metal, we get a cover, a thrash metal version of Accept's "Fast as a Shark". It's a very famous song and an absolute classic from the "Restless and Wild" album, so it's been properly treated and brutalized in the Destruction way. I have the blue vinyl, but Napalm Records also pressed it in red, gold and silver, if I'm not mistaken, strictly 100 copies per color. So this is a very limited vinyl release that is sure to sell out fast. The vinyl A-side spins at 45 rpm and sounds pretty awesome, while the B-side has some impressive etching. The mixing and mastering was done this time by none other than Martin Furia himself, who did a perfect job! The same applies to the artwork on the front and back covers, created by the reliable Gyula Havancsák. This EP definitely makes me curious about the upcoming new album, I really hope they come up with some exceptional material, but we'll find out soon enough, in the meantime get this killer and super limited 12" vinyl!!!

This is definitely the kind of dream box set that every true Dismember fan should have in their collection. Released nearly a year ago, it is limited to 1000 copies and compiles all 8 studio albums, 2 EPs, 3 demos, selected rarities, a 36-page booklet, plus if you ordered directly from the band's online store, it also includes a t-shirt and a slipmat. All these treasures are housed in a fabulous looking cardboard box. There are six blue and six yellow vinyls that are transparent. The ones in blue are "Like an Ever Flowing Stream" (1991), "Pieces" EP (1992), "Indecent and Obscene" (1993), "Massive Killing Capacity" (1995), "Misanthropic" EP (1997) and "Death Metal" (1997). Finally, after so many represses and reissues of the debut album with extremely loud and rather distorted masters, we get the songs from the "Like an Ever Flowing Stream" album with the more dynamic version (June '91), which always represented the only correct version of this masterpiece, but in the past was only used for the European first pressing of the CD. So first time on vinyl with the right master, needless to say it sounds and feels fantastic! By the way, I will point out that there are quite a few "for the first time" in this box. For example, the "Pieces" EP never featured lyrics before, but now we have them all on the insert. Nice surprise! The "Misanthropic" EP was also released for the first time on vinyl and is also exclusive to this box set. The songs on "Misanthropic" and the tracks on the "Death Metal" album were the only ones remastered by Patrick W. Engel under the supervision of Fred Estby. The first six vinyls represent the classic era with the band's original line-up. The other six vinyls are yellow and they are: "Hate Campaign" (2000), "Where Ironcrosses Grow" (2004), "The God That Never Was" (2006), "Dismember" (2008), "The Complete Demos 1988-1990" (2023) and "Historia Mortis – The Rarities" (2023). The 3 demos, namely "Dismembered" (1988), "Last Blasphemies" (1989) and "Reborn in Blasphemy" (1990), were previously released by Regain Records in 2005 under the title "Complete Demos", but new tape rips were used for the current vinyl version. Another exclusive vinyl for this box is "Historia Mortis – The Rarities", which contains rare songs previously available on various compilations, Japanese CD versions or later reissues. However, no matter how you look at it, these songs are being released together for the first time on vinyl. So the tracklist for this special vinyl is as follows: "I Wish You Hell" (unmastered version, originally released in 1992 on "Rock Hard presents Monsters of Death" compilation), "Torn Apart" (alternate master, taken from "Death ...Is Just the Beginning II" compilation, released in 1992), "Justifiable Homicide" (taken from "Death ...Is Just the Beginning III" compilation, released in 1994), "Hill 112" (originally released in 1996 on "Death ...Is Just the Beginning IV" compilation), "Beyond the Unholy Grave (Death cover)" (taken from "Death ...Is Just the Beginning V" compilation, released in 1999), "Live to Hate" and "Unhealing Scars" (both originally released in 2000 as Japan bonus tracks of "Hate Campaign" album), all the previously mentioned songs are on side A, while side B contains "Collection by Blood", "Life - Another Shape of Sorrow" and "On Frozen Fields – Shadowlands" (taken from the instrumental pre-production demo of "Massive Killing Capacity" recorded in 1994). Then there's the exclusive full-color 36-page booklet. Produced in 12-inch format, it includes a wealth of rare and previously unseen photos from the band's private collection, an annotated discography, posters, flyers and more historical content. Nice addition and valuable for sure! What's more, the box also contains exclusive artworks by Daniele Valeriani, which are definitely worth paying attention to. The entire audio was mastered to vinyl by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony with the highest goal of preserving the "true to the original" sound as much as possible, which I can 100% confirm after thoroughly listening to all the vinyls. Very good work indeed! All vinyls are 33+1/3 rpm except for the 2 EPs which are 45 rpm. In conclusion, I can only say that I am very happy to own a copy of this very well done box set. Hail to the Stockholm death metal legends, hail to Dismember!!!

Every Dismember fan knows that the "Casket Garden" EP was the precursor to the band's third full-length album, "Massive Killing Capacity" (1995), which was only released in CD format at the time. Of course, these 3 songs have already been included on other vinyl (and especially CD) releases and reissues before this release, although always scattered and the "Justifiable Homicide" track mostly as a bonus, but now thanks to Seven Metal Inches Records, the 3 songs are being released together on vinyl for the very first time. This limited edition 7" vinyl comes in two colors, transparent red and transparent blue, and features Skaðvaldur's exclusive new artwork, which is simply fantastic, and is presented in a matt interpretation on the cover. I have the translucent red vinyl which looks pretty good and plays at 33+1/3 rpm. On side A are "Casket Garden" and "Wardead", both part of the "Massive Killing Capacity" album, while on side B is "Justifiable Homicide", the song most often used as a bonus. It is very strange that the latter song is labelled "previously unreleased" when it has been released and re-released continuously since 1994. Well, never mind. All three songs of the 7" EP were mastered for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony and were previously released as part of the incredibly successful "Historia Mortis" vinyl box set. If I compare them sonically, these songs definitely sound better on the vinyl records that are part of the box set than on this 7". But it's still a must-have for Dismember fans, even if it's not flawless. Speaking of mistakes, the song title "Wardead" is misspelled everywhere, and is listed as "Warhead", as a Venom song title, ha-ha... I know I'm being a bit picky, but if I'm paying money and there are mistakes like this that are ridiculous at some point, it's very unfair, isn't it? I could pretty much imagine an insert for this release with lyrics, a band photo and the original cover, but these are just a few wishes I would have liked to see included with this 7" EP. Don't get me wrong, in some ways I still like this 7" edition, but towards the end I was in a bit of a sour mood. So let's see what the other Dismember fans have to say, it will be interesting to read their opinions.

Well, although die-hard Hirax fans already got a taste of the full 9-song 6th album "Faster than Death" in demo version back in 2023, this 7" EP is the one that contains 4 songs from the upcoming new album in superior quality. The band's current label in the Czech Republic, Doomentia Records, has done a great job and released the 4 new tracks in two colorful 7" vinyl versions, in translucent red and translucent yellow, both strictly limited to 250 copies. Of course, I had to buy both colors, that's the way, you know, ha-ha-ha... The 7" vinyl, which spins at 45 rpm, comes with a glossy gatefold cover and a Hirax/Exumer tour 2024 poster. In addition, let's not forget to mention that the cover and interior images by Thomas Pinheiro are fantastic, so the visual elements and the packaging itself are incredibly cool. Now for the main thing, which is of course the music. The A-side opens with "Drill into the Brain", which offers the listener a totally old-school, fast riffing, one-minute thrash metal assault. Then comes "Drowned Bodies", a track that should be a blast live, with a heavyweight Exodus-like opening riff. This is a much longer tune with different rhythm changes, a crazy guitar solo and Katon's quite varied vocals. The B-side starts with the tile track "Faster than Death". Where the thundering drum intro is followed by a guitar riff that is super cool in every way, but very reminiscent of what we heard in Sodom's "Deadline" from the album "Tapping the Vein". The second half of the song, as the title suggests, is one hell of a fast 6- and 4-string orgy, with the right drumming, of course. Oh, and what a tornado-like solo there is at the end of the song, in short, pure awesomeness. The EP closes with "Relentless". This is another super diverse song, especially when I look at Katon's vocal variations. The opening riff is quite grindcore-like, while the second one reminds me again of the great Exodus. The beginning has the usual thrash metal vocals, but the second half of the song after the solo has the melodic vocals that pay homage to the heavy metal bands of the 80s, a good addition for sure. These four tracks were mixed by the one and only Bill Metoyer and recorded with the following line-up: Katon W. de Pena (vocals), Neil Metcalf (guitar/bass) and Danny Walker (drums). Needless to say, this is a must-have 7" for any thrash metal or crossover fan, so act fast or cry later! Oh, and get ready for the release of Hirax's 6th full-length studio album "Faster than Death" on February 21, 2025, via Doomentia Records!!!

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the sound quality and visual variety of the recently released vinyl reissue of Immortalis' "Indicium de Mortuis" album. Chinese Awakening Records has done an incredible job. This is a really professional and definitely worth the money reissue! I also have to admit that this is my first vinyl record from this underground label, and I definitely like the result. First, let's look at the sound of vinyl. I have the classic black vinyl, printed in 200 copies. It plays at 33+1/3 rpm of course, and I have to say that to my ears it sounds absolutely fantastic. The gatefold cover states that the album was remixed and remastered by Mehdi Salkhi in 2023, and then remastered exclusively for vinyl by Loïc Fontaine at Krucyator Productions in 2024. To be honest, it was just remastered, the album wasn't remixed at all. Compared to the original sound, the mid and high frequencies have been touched up a bit in the remastering process to give the album a crunchier sound. I love this new approach to sound, especially on vinyl, but the original sound, with more low frequencies, is what I'm used to and will always like better. There is also a slight distortion effect in some parts of the keyboard sound of the instrumental title track, which I suspect is caused by the remastering settings. Despite this small tonal flaw, I really like the way this vinyl plays and sounds. "Indicium de Mortuis" is a massive death metal masterpiece, no doubt, and now it has finally been officially materialized and immortalized on vinyl for the second time in its career. Now let's look at the cover and the content inside. First of all, it is a gatefold cover with an excellent matt print. There you will find 17 photos that are frankly super cool. If that's not enough, there is also a 4-page black and white insert with 6 more photos, a short history of the band and some text descriptions. The reissue's cover art has a slightly "zoomed-in" effect, while the logo and title are in a slightly different location and size than on the original cover. No big deal, but it's better to mention it. In addition to the black vinyl, Awakening Records also pressed this gem in red, black with red splatter and clear with black smoke, in 100 copies each. And also on cassette, in 3 colors (black, red, yellow), 50 copies per color. So hurry up and get your copy as soon as possible, as quantities are, as you can see, quite limited.

This 3-song 12" EP comes as a precursor to King Diamond's long-awaited 13th studio album "The Institute", featuring the new track "Masquerade of Madness", which of course has been circulating online since 2019 in digital format, as well as two live cuts from Graspop, namely "Welcome Home" and the "Arrival". All of these songs are available on vinyl for the first time. I have the 180-gram regular black vinyl, but limited edition vinyls are also available in clear violet brown marbled, bone and translucent black ice. All these editions include a paper mask with the lyrics to "Masquerade of Madness" and a download card. Since there are only 3 songs in total with a playing time of almost 15 minutes, the heavyweight vinyl plays at 45 rpm to the delight of audiophiles. Well, "Masquerade of Madness" is a typical King Diamond hit, which riff-wise reminded me of the turn between the albums "Conspiracy" and "The Spider's Lullabye". It is quite full of keyboard parts, which also refers to the atmosphere of the last mentioned album. The sound production is incredibly solid as usual. Needless to say, I can't wait to hear the new album in its entirety, I hope we don't have to wait too long. Side B has the two live tracks. Both were captured at the Graspop Metal Meeting on June 17, 2016. Their vibe and sound are perfect, I really dig them. These old evergreen tunes are awesome in every possible way and we know it for sure! The front and back covers of the EP were created by Yannick Bouchard, which were aptly adapted to the lyrical concept of the new song, and of course both works of art were mind-blowingly well done. I think it goes without saying that this item is a must have for fans of the King!!!

"Excessive Outburst of Depravity" is the title of Protector's latest release, which, like its three predecessors, perfectly combines the European thrash and death metal styles of the 80s and 90s. Since it was intended for the maximum old-school atmosphere from the very beginning, you won't find any modern elements in it, that's for sure. The album's 11 songs were recorded and engineered by Robert Pehrsson at Studio Humbucker (Stockholm, Sweden) between October 30 and November 13, 2021. It was then mixed and mastered by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony (Bamberg, Germany) in December 2021. In essence, it is thanks to them that the sound production is old school to the core. The members of Protector have been the same since 2011, and that's a pretty killer fact. The quartet – Martin Missy (vocals), Michael Carlsson (guitar), Mathias Johansson (bass) & Carl-Gustav Karlsson (drums) – does everything perfectly, leading them to another great Protector record. With more than 47 minutes, this new album is more thrash metal than death metal in my opinion, and it also embodies the epicness of the heavy metal bands of the 80s. The guitar sound is so penetrating that it tears the listener's mind apart, while the dynamism of the riffs is even more impressive, not to mention the super solos. The drums are also natural sounding and that makes it all the more exciting. I also like the sound of the bass, it rumbles quite massively in the background. Then there's Martin's unique and rough voice that's unmistakable from anyone else's, and that completes the picture of a successful album to be honest. I have it on vinyl, in a beautiful transparent beer color, and frankly, this record should only be played on vinyl, because it sounds better on that format. The whole design suits the vinyl release better, not to mention the masterful artwork by Patrik Tegnander, and of course the album cover poster is bigger and better quality than the CD version, and there's a super cool A5 photo card. In short, this release is a must for Protector fans worldwide!!!

As I have already written a review of the 3CD reissue of "Tapping the Vein", I will now focus on the features of the vinyl, the insert and the cover and how they differ from the original first pressing of the album. Firstly, this new double vinyl reissue comes with a beautiful gatefold cover. Thus, the inside of the gatefold cover features an extra band photo, thanks lists and credits for the remastered original and Redux versions of the album. If I compare the front cover of the reissue with the original, it's pretty much the same, except that the logo and title are positioned a bit differently and the cover image is darker. However, there is a significant difference on the back cover, and I don't mean the additional track lists in the top right corner, but the fact that the shadow guy in the top left corner is in a completely different place to the original, moved more to the left, closer to the edge. No big deal, I just don't understand why they did it that way. Of course, the reissue has two inserts, but if I compare the original insert with the remastered one, the first thing I see is that the background is grey, whereas the original was white. Then, for the reissue insert, they used different member shots, but of course from the same photo shoot. There's also a bit of a mess with the song titles and their highlighting, as the song title "Hunting Season" is omitted, and the song titles "Tapping the Vein" and "Reincarnation" are not highlighted in bold like the other song titles. Okay, forget it, and let's not be so meticulous. The second insert, which is for the Redux version, contains lots of great band photos, some live photos, concert tickets and posters. A cool addition, for sure! Both the remastered album and the Redux version were issued on transparent red vinyl, while the original was, of course, on black vinyl. Now about their sound. I always considered "Tapping the Vein" to be Sodom's most aggressive sounding album and now this beast sounds even more massive than ever thanks to Eroc. The Redux version also sounds really good, and it has this special raw feel to it that gives all the songs a different aspect. And when you compare the two, you realize how sublime Harris Johns is, because now you have the mix of raw tracks, thanks to none other than Andy Brings, the way it all started in the studio, and you can compare it to the finished album. In short, if you like Sodom, you should own this double vinyl edition!!!