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TENEBRION (Peru) Tenebrion Demo tape. 2020. DYSTOPIAN DOGS Recs.
Each time I read the name of the town "Lima", I see a picture of the animal called a "Lama"... Don't ask me why... At least this kind of camel is located in South America and loves to spit in your face! (So my feelings weren't 100% wrong... Uh)
Ok, here you have the first demo of a band from Lima, that practices old school thrash/ black thrash. They're from Peru, but they could be located in Chile that you wouldn't really notice.
They offer pretty cool songs with thrashing riffs the old way, more blackened guitars à la old DARKTHRONE (Probably), and nice rock'n roll riffs à la very early AURA NOIR (Well, it's not really R'N'R à la Motörhead for example, but I don't have a better word).
If you want names, I also hear some early 80's Teutonic thrash influences, from the old albums... (Oh, I didn't quote band names... Nice anti-name-dropping effort isn't it?)
I think the first song "Blackness commando" is better than the two following ones, not due to the riffs, but because it was constructed in a more efficient/ kicking way.
I think TENEBRION checks all the boxes of the cool/ very nice thrash metal/ black thrash demo. I wasn't really thrilled by a black storm of thunder, but this is a good beginning.
TENEBRES THRASHING VELOMOTEUR!
https://tenebrionperu.bandcamp.com

TERRIFY (Bra) Iron battlefield Demo CDr'05.
Beer isn't the only way, some thrashers also seem to like burning pizzas with many spices from hell... Guess what's can be the name of this hot foodage? Guess it? The Petrozza! Héhé. You might got the fact this thrash methane band takes quite strong influences from mid old KREATOR ("Extreme aggression" and "Coma of souls" mostly... But in a less developed manner) for the quite cool sounding riffs and tremolo guitars that almost tend to Death... Plus the production isn't so far (It can create the same coolified state of listening)...
Now, even if this influence is obvious in parts, the band also inserts spices and meats from other kinds of metal, for example you can find some touches of blasting death, zests of black metal, or other thrash metal influences (to come back in a closer spectrum), namely some CRANIUM, early DESTRUCTION or eventually touches of early AURA NOIR.
Musically it's all ok, you can listen to the whole without particularly noticeable gastric problems... Maybe it would need some more catchy riffs from here and there, and a little more mid-placedness to make the whole even more KREATOR alike... Now the leads doesn't sound as good as those of the German thrashers used to be (You know, these great sounding and quite melodic soloing guitars), it's rather fast, and that's it... The vocals are a bit different, it might sound a bit more like traditional South-American black death, even thought it's not particularly vomiting, that little feeling I have might be due to some recording-effect...
All in all, it's an okey demo. Nothing that might come back in your face as an hungry shark-attack, but at least the listening session wasn't boring and TERRIFY doesn't exactly sound the same than all the current retro-thrashing bands.
Mother Mary's chastity belt was a giant KREATOR patch, guess why?
http://www.terrify.cjb.net

TERMINATION FORCE (Usa) Promo 2007. CDr.
The body parts are aligned in the right order to be impaled on the skewer, so let's prepare the morbid barbecue with another review.
This American band described their music as "Thrash grinding death" and it's quite appropriate since 40% of their old school mixture comes from thrash while 40% from grind... Is that a very original way of combining the meat parts on the BBQ spike? At least I don't hear many bands to be influenced by some early thrashing grind that could remember of ATROCITY (Usa), eventually REPULSION (In smaller doses) or some bands from the ooold Earache days that were on the GRINDCRUSHER 2 Lp compilation.
As stated before there's also some thrash, well the guitars are often thrashing even when the drums blast, but I'm talking about an early kind of the genre that could sometimes remind of SLAYER ("Hell awaits"), EXODUS (2nd album) or stuffs between the "we play fast" genre and the bay area tendencies..
I like the fact there's a nice little hot atmosphere (Old school?) and the production is quite natural (Old school?) without manipulation nor a boring too raw aspect.
Now, this is quite cool stuff, but nothing exceptional or that good yet. The band can be quite cool by moments but also less entertaining during other times (I'm not really fond of some "mid placed" thrash parts for ex... And maybe the ups of intensity could go upper). So we're in the deep underground, and TERMINATION FORCE has recorded a demo that that could please big enthusiasts of the genre; Let's see how they evolve.
http://www.myspace.com/goreified

TERROR STRIKE (Chile) Infernal thrash metal Demo CDr. 2011. Self-released.
I don't often listen to thrash metal, but when I do... It's thrashing for real.
This Chilean band was born in 2005, for now they released mostly demos or short recordings... But they could record a decent album without a lot of problems.
The style is thrash metal reminding me of KREATOR (Between "Pleasure to kill" and "Terrible certainty"), FARSCAPE, perhaps TERRORSQUAD ("The wild stream..." CD'99) and maybe with touches of early DESTRUCTION.
Some moments sound quite aggressively thrashing, while some riffs are quite more technical and sounds well rounded.
This demo contains 3 songs, and 3 covers of SABBAT, DARKNESS and RAZOR.
This is not an unforgettable demo, but a nice (Or very nice?) recording for fans of old school aggressive thrash metal with a technical touch.

THASAIDON (Fra) Thasaidon Demo tape. 2021/ 2023. METAL IS THE LAW Recs.
Concerning working from home, I'm not the biggest fan since it's harder to focus on your job, and after a few days/ weeks at home the limits between the job and the free time aren't clear anymore... And it's harder to disconnect from working once the job is finished...
I know some peoples are listening to metal while working from home, it apparently helps them to focus on their task, but this is not something I would be able to do... This would be the contrary to focusing for me... And I'm not sure if this demo of THASAIDON would fit at all: This is ways too cavernous for that AhAh.
This underground entity is a project of the two musicians from ROTTEN BRAIN, but the style is different... Here what you have is obscure death doom with something more putrid.
It sounds like a mix of WINTER (Not Ophélie), AUTOPSY's slow parts, and some bands that were influenced by old CELTIC FROST (But took the riffs in a more doomy/ death doom world)... On these 3 songs the music is slow or close to the doomy. There's a pitch shifted effect on vocals that sometimes sounds putridly liquid.
Some cavern dwellers might also hear a bit of old SORROW (Usa), or perhaps very early MORTICIAN's slow parts (Before the drum machine era), but that's more seldom. I was going to quote ASPHYX's "Embrace the death" Lp for the "bestial" side, but the music remains quite different.
To sum up my visit in the cavern, I dig the vocals, the somewhat abrupt side of the thing, but I don't enjoy every moments of the songs as much. Anyway this remains a pretty cool tape, and might please some underground peoples.
https://thasaidon.bandcamp.com

THE DEAD (Australia) Demo 2. CDr'07.
Fucking damnation! There no more room in hell one more time, and THE DEAD is back to walk the earth again and devour your maggoty guts!
This second demo sounds more efficient than the first one in my brutalized holes: More brutality, more gore, more straight to the kill structures, and yet with this touch of disjoncted personality.
Think about mid old brutal death à la SUFFOCATION/ PYREXIA , with a touch of "erotic" deliria à la MORTAL DECAY, blast gore and frenziness à la early EXHUMED, a bit of heaviness à la HEMDALE, few stoner and grooves à la SOILENT GREEN and touches of fukked SADISTIK EXEKUTION.
Sometimes the state of mine isn't very far from some good old MUCUPURULENT or BLOOD DUSTER (Kinda grotesque and 2nd degree ... The vocals help to make it more disjoncted) but it's not a major element from the pile of liquefied inner remains.
There's nothing over the top in matters of emotional intensity or song structures, but the whole flows well from the opened entrails, and it's a quite obvious little pleasure to hear it will please the brutal fukkers who like it big and kinda coffin-shaking.
THE DEAD is a portion of cadaver to follow for those who like gut-tickling brutality.
(Maybe interviewed sometime on NIHILISTIC HOHOHOHO)
http://www.myspace.com/lordofthelivingdead

THE ORDHER (Bra) The ordher Demo CDr'06.
THE ORDHER was found by previous musicians of NEPHASTH, so you know what to expect: Brutal unholy Death metal! There's no real difference on a musical point of puke; The music is almost blast ridden and apocalypse beholding. The atmosphere might be a bit darker than NEPHAST. I was surprised by 1 song being rather slow and moody (More or less à la MORBID ANGEL).
The tight and precise playing makes them sound like an armada, but I have to question the compositions themselves to penetrate beyond the brutality... Unfortunately, on a deep emotional point of thrill I'm not impressed, the inner cadaveric entrails didn't especially feast on inhuman metallic hatred. You'd rather find pleasant moods mixed with brutality. So THE ORDHER will be a quite hailworthy formation for maniacs of the style; But those who weren't Evily brazicunted might as well keep their insemination-trumpets in other perverted holes of metallic embalming. The band apparently signed on UNIQUE LEADER, so it seems brutal maniacs will hear about their following albums...
http://www.theordher.com

THE RITE OF RETALIATION (Croatia) Blind... Hatred... Visualized Demo CDr'06.
Nice brutal death metal that rides the pustular dementia following the lines of impact that were drawn by SUFFOCATION (On "Despise the sun") or MALEVOLENT CREATION (Since 1996 or so) with something of a more 'regular' brutality and some older Death metal patterns. It's clearly US influenced, but contains no mosh or blastasfuck-to-the-gore-current-brutal-death as the goal seems to build intense tracks with quite a lot of changes and breaks.
It never sounds over the top or particularly technical, it's just enough for the cool.
The riffs in itselves aren't particularly shocking, but none sucks either, and the whole is quite well constructed according to this impact/ intensity way of demolishing things, so it's nicely enjoyable.
You could obviously find other influences, for example some not-particularly-deathcore riffs à la DYING FETUS, a shitload of Us influenced guitars (That might come from some Spawn of possession, Severe torture, Origin or early Pyrexia for exemple) quite 'technical' bleeding guitars à la mid old CANNIBAL CORPSE, some blasting early MORBID ANGEL and touches of older Death metal (Stuffs like DEATH, early GORGUTS etc). They also remind me of NERLICH (Fin) or some early VIBRION (Because of some blasts). The vocalist sounds quite angry and motivated for a revenge.
The production isn't the most powerful, it lacks of heaviness and guitars are a bit too crunchy sometimes, but the whole has a kinda compact sound that makes it Ok.
THE RITE OF RETALIATION is currently a quite encouraging band and should be supported by concerned fanatics; It's not a new revelation or an hyper intense emotional gut-puncher, but they shew enough qualities to become a cool and supportable band.
http://www.myspace.com/riteofretaliation

THE ROTTING (Swe) Demo'07.
Slave to the anus! Your head is trapped in the flesh devouring asshole, you can't escape the internal farts of violence! The process of maceration has begun... THE ROTTING is apparently a freshly desecrated outfit that seems to try to play it old-styled, following few genres such as: Old death metal, Death grind, crusty death metal and some speed thrash stuffs... This is very underground stuff that was recorded on an old tape-system or a 4 tracker, the production is quite raw and the playing isn't particularly very tight, so you feel like in an ugly rehearsal room, you see nice posters and younger dudes vomiting the metal and the beers during violent rehearsals :)
The 3 tracks are quite short and the style varies a bit from a song to another, but there's some kind of old death metal common place between every tracks... I kinda like some old AUTOPSY or NIHILIST alike moments, while for example some "speed thrash" isn't particularly cool... Since I didn't find any info at all about this band (Got this demo on Soulseek), the criticism-machine will remain on a soft position, and my conclusion will be: This is apparently the very first recording of a young band who can offer some nice old styled riffs or Ok death grind patterns, but they need to improve the playing and macerate a bit more... Only for deep underground maniacs!

THE ROTTING (Swe) The dead won't leave you alone Demo tape. 2010. TIME BEFORE TIME Recs.
This is not a new Swedish band, but a subproject by two guys of EVISCERATED and AWAKEN HORROR.
Now the body parts are aligned in the right cataclysmic order, we can browse the flesh from this reekording to inhale the nauseous emanations that might escape with rejoicing... "So how are these emanations?", will you ask.
Well, first let me insert a finger under the flesh, to open wider the ventral cut and put the entrails to light: This sounds like retro Death metal with a quite strong REPUGNANT influence, some similarities with NIHILIST/ ENTOMBED, or very early SEPULTURA (The first track has something very close to "Troops of doom"... And the guitar sound isn't far), some early DEATH, some AUTOPSY ("Mental funeral" but with much fewer doom and strange structures...) and a little of MERCILESS (In the most thrashy patterns). Most of it is fast, but not blasting, with few slow-downs.
Here, nothing bothers the conservative putrid skull, there are no "un-necro" influences and the quite deaf production makes it okey to rest in the dust of tranquility. The second skull, which is not so retro and expects something a bit new could be disappointed, he heard it all before. The third (broken) skull, which loves when it comes from enormous guts, might remain quite unmoved since the emotions aren't so strong: It's something quite conservative that kinda respects the shapes of a quite nice aura, but it doesn't explode like a voracious urge to kill. Now choose which one of the skulls is closer to yours (If you don't own the 3 at the same time ahah). So it could be a quite cool demo for conservative death-heads who rot deep in the undergrounds, but it's not a gem of patient cadaverous maceration. I noticed THE ROTTING kinda evolved since the first demo that was more varied and didn't show a precise direction, now it's clearly more focused on retro Death metal and the content sounds cooler...
http://www.myspace.com/therotting666

THE SEVEN GATES (Fra) MMXIII Digital Ep. 2013.
Watch them dilapidating your kingdom, old monarchist liar!
You will soon be... Raped... In your own wounds!
You will soon be... Raped... In your own blood!

A few changes have occurred in the camp of this French Death metal band since their first album "Angel of Suffering" from 2009. The drummer and the vocalist left, and this affects the sounds in a quite positive way: The music is a bit more brutal and efficient (But don't be afraid the atmosphere is still there, and their music still sounds influenced by Morbid Angel).
The first song entitled "Polymorph demon" is fast and kicking for most, in a way I could describe as in the middle between mid-old MORBID ANGEL and the last PYREXIA album (Or perhaps some Suffocation from "Despise the sun"). The feelings are composed of anger/ revenge with an underlying "satanic" something, and the leads are great.
The second song "Of gods... Of saints... Of graves" is heavier and opens more ways for quite obscure (Yet burning) atmospheres. This is closer to the "Domination" and "Gateways..." albums in their double-kick-ridden moments, while some riffs in the middle describe suffering in a quite efficient manner, and the quite dark arpeggios sound cool.
Both tracks could be graded from cool to very cool (Very skull? Ahah) and provide me some burning/ embalming listening enjoyment.
I must say I prefer the current drummer, because the previous kit-handler took the habit of blasting with kicks and snare at the same time (Which tends to bother me).
The morbid polyphonic melodies "à la Azagtoth" might take less place than before, and maybe the first song tastes a bit more "brutally regular" than their previous recordings, but it doesn't bother my skull and all I have under the hears is two songs (So it's a bit few to have a realistic idea of their potential future morbid defenestrations).
This is the kind of "evil brutality" I enjoy: Fast and brutal, but not ultra brew-tech, and it contains a warming atmosphere. Quite professional sounding. Not bad at all for fans of the style!
Death metallers who aren't familiar with THE SEVEN GATES and enjoyed bands from my previous releases such as AMETHYSTE, BLACK BLEEDING, HEAVING EARTH or HELLSPAWN should throw an hear on their music without too much hesitation, I imagine they wouldn't be disappointed.
Through polymorphic decrepitudes, the morbid entity will rise!
Woundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/the-seven-gates-1
Reversednation: http://www.reverbnation.com/thesevengates

THE WAKE DEAD GATHERING (Usa) Ars notoria Demo CDr'08.
On a Death metal point of view, I often prefer real bands than solo projects, because it often sounds more alive and flowing-from-the-grave with real musicians... This solo project from Ohio/ Usa isn't to be listed in the folder of the worst solo projects, since it shows a decent guitar playing and okey compositions that would make it quite edible for cool listeners.
What I hear sounds influenced by old MORBID ANGEL, the albums VITAL REMAINS did few years ago (Before going ultra brutal), with thrashy and technical guitar elements, some old INCANTATION/ IMMOLATION in some "dooms" or wills to be a bit more obscure, BROKEN HOPE's last releases (Not so technical), a zest of FLESHTIZED, guitar gimmicks à la NILE, and some Floridian/ Morissound Death metal.... On a first approach you could think it's quite brutal and "testosterone obscure death metal", but the truth is a bit different since the guitars often contain something a bit more technical or along the neat/ calculated...
You'll obviously find various kinds of speed, from the mid placed, the double kicks ridden, to the faster, the blast or even the slow...
It's the same problem than many solo projects: The drum machine's playing could be improved as it doesn't always sound very alive (Sounds a bit like the first COMECON album sometimes... But for the style he choose, drums need something quite impressive, with more tom rolls and changes etc)
Some riffs aren't bad, when he tries to be more obscure, or fast à la old MORBID ANGEL or a bit more "original", but globally it’s not turning me into a savage beast... It's a quite demanding style on matters of madness and schizo-frenzy. The musical basis is okey, but I need a putrid cherry on the top of the morbid cake to be more attracted and hungry. I think some of these patterns might sound great in other condition... Maybe it would need more numerous cool riffs, more surprising structures, more abstract influences (Digging deeper in the Immolation's world might help?) or more savagery (It sounds a bit wise in parts)... I don't clearly know, but for the first recording of a solo project it shows some qualities and could evolve into something cooler with time.
http://www.myspace.com/thewakedeadgathering

THY RITES (Bra) Summoning the Abominations Curse Demo CD'08. SKULL FUCKING METAL Recs.
As we behold the flight of the phosphorescent goat, tears of milk will fall from the sky, blood of honey will ooze from the wounds of the sun...
The milk in the sky is ours! The milk in the sky is hours! (And there's nothing like cumming in the wind...)
Now let's be a little more serious for few rotting minutes, and pay attention to this Death black metal demo:
The first track contains Death metal in a mid-paced manner à la early DEICIDE, with quite cool leads which could remind MORBID ANGEL's "Abominations of desolation"...And maybe something like the "slow" parts from ABHORER's only album... But where are the fast parts? It's all mid paced and I must say half of it could kick more bottoms with fast or cruel blasting parts! Quite cool, but...
The second track contains blasting black metal and might have been recorded by a Swedish black metal band around 1996, the riffs often contain a bit of melody and wouldn't be too misplaced on an early MARDUK record... It seems ok in the style, but I'm not a fan of that kind...
The musicians of THY RITES don't have bad skills and they kinda show some enthusiasm in the playing, but I wasn't particularly hooked in the bowels, and this demo is fucking short... The band released an album in 2008, so it would be a better record to judge their music and have a clearer idea of the style (Hope the Death metal prevail)
Mark: The phosphorescent goat isn't luminous yet.
http://www.myspace.com/thyrites666

TOTENWELT (Swe) Tot Demo tape. 2016. Wulfrune Worxxx Recs.
This isn't really a new band since they apparently were formed in 2007, but this is their first demo. Perhaps the musicians are very busy with their other bands CURSUS BELLUM, IMMERSED IN BLOOD or SGT CARNAGE? Here we will talk about this tape that contains two songs, for about 14 minutes of music.
This is fast black metal with a raw production,
the style is close to the mid/ end 90's genre with influences of the beginning 00's evolution.
During the first song, the riffing reminds me a lot of MAYHEM at the time of "Wolf's lay abyss" (With these simple power chords that sound a bit repetitive but extreme), then there's a touch of grim early IMMORTAL ("Pure holocaust") in some guitars, and an industrial/ black metal touch here & there. After a thought,
I feel there's something in common with the most BM songs from "A grand declaration of war" (Mayhem).
The second song, that sounds less extreme, reminds me of old SATYRICON (90's/ before they explored others paths than pure black metal), and with a little of MARDUK ("Opus nocturne" but less "melodic").
The guitars are very present in the mix, while the remaining instruments are rather in the back... Perhaps it contributes to some kind of spacey impression that comes from the "repetitiveness" of some riffs.
It's nice to hear something a bit different but that remains quite raw and close to the old influences.
I'm still not a black metal fan or expert, but some bands still send me demos to review, so perhaps my (very) averagely informed BM reviews aren't that bad? Feel free to let me know in the guestbook (Or through snail mail, I didn't receive hate mail on paper since an eternity AhAh)
https://totenwelt.bandcamp.com 

TRENCHROT (Usa) Dragged down to hell Demo. 2013.
If you weren't subject to deafness, you would hear the grave calling your name in eternity.
In fact, you are very late and the intestines of the flesh-devouring undeads grumble in hunger!
TRENCHROT is a new band that plays old school Death metal in a style close to the 90's European genre(s), composed without artifices and in a natural sounding manner.
While listening to their 3 tracks you happen to think about some PESTILENCE (Rather the demos and the 2nd album), early ASPHYX (Mid-paced heaviness), old BOLT THROWER (Calls to war or heavy moments with epic guitars), some early DISMEMBER/ CARNAGE (In fast parts, sometimes d-beat driven), and a couple of others.
The vocals are quite tearing and happen to remind of Van Drunen or a bit of Obituary.
There's a nice hot atmosphere, something like a little "bluesy" feeling that could remember of MASTER in a way... (The safest way to describe this might be to underline the music is simply old school, in a cool way, and not particularly necro/ raw/ vomiting).
The tracks are composed in a nice manner that makes it flow nicely; You might not notice at first hear because some riffs are simple, but it seems they try to make songs.
I feel the band might still be searching for a style to focus on, the 3 tracks occur to contain quite "varied" influences.

TYPHON (Col)/ BLAPSHEMIA (Col) "Total evil and lust" Split tape. MALA FIDE Recs.
Even if most of today's black metal is fucking boring and worthless, there happens to be bands that kinda turn your curiosity on and develop nice atmospheres.
In this case, I'm talking about TYPHON who plays a quite 'occult' black metal with touchable old school influences. During the listening, you can find vibes of old CELTIC FROST ("To megatherion", without the grandiloquence), EQUINOX (Usa), HELLHAMMER, while musical similarities with DARKTHRONE (Panzerfaust) can be drawn.
Their stuff is quite varied, between these old school vibes described before, and more usual black metal or early thrash metal stuffs, with a bit of 80's heavy metal touches (Leads or riffs)... The vocals would rather sound like DARKTHRONE on "Panzerfaust", it's not my fave and sometimes it's a bit fucked, but worse things were done in the past...
Everything doesn't sound as embalming, there are cool and less cool (Too usual) stuffs... But all in all, it's more or less correctly built.
One thing I especially enjoy: The production has nothing to do with all this high flying Norwegian bullshit, not at all, the guitar and drum sound is quite deaf, quite heavy, as this reminds me of some cool demos from the past and helps to develop a nice little obscure atmosphere that could even tend to the 'occult' (Rough view).
To conclude, there's nothing especially particular or thrilling, but TYPHON is a cool band with a bit more personality than the usual. Something cool for old school dudes who like to drink their beers slowly, but surely, to taste all the savior of the malt. (Ps: I just noticed these tracks of TYPHON were previously released as CD in 1996, under the "Unholy trilogy" title, so it explains the difference from nowadays' blague metal).

On the other side of this tape you could find BLASFEMIA and their raw thrash metal... The music is a bit more aggressive, but there's really fewer atmospheres... And I must say the band isn't very tight, plus the raw rehearsal production doesn't help to understand everything clearly... But this review couldn't stop here, so find enclosed a rough description: The vocals evolve between quite frenetic high pitched screams, fucked Mexican claims, and lower south American invocations, while riffing wise you could find some HELLHAMMER, early SODOM (When they were chaotic) mixed with some early thrash speed metal gimmicks and other early thrash metal outfits, but once again this sounds quite hardly edible because the band tries to be kinda technical (For the style/epoch) and do not have the necessary skills to reproduce it the tight way...  It might please big underground maniacs of South American underground rawness who drink a lot of beer, and so feel more receptive to these underground assaults... But I'll stop here, it seems the band might evolve a better way in the future, but I need easily drinkable brevages.
(Ps: I just noticed these tracks were actually released in 1988(!!) as en Ep, under the "Guerra total" title... This explains the feeling of averageness I had, and for this time these tracks sound better, still raw but more acceptable... Some labels should really be more informative in their releases! They're misleading the metallers...)

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