The exploration of the old American death metal scene continues. There's no theme to this part of the series. It's more of a grabbag of various obscure acts. First is Morgue, a fine band from Chicago that reminds me of Autopsy. Next is Infamy, an infernal act from California. After that is Mortifix, an obscure yet amazing band from Dallas, Texas. The next band is Demogoth, a primitive slamming band from Florida. After that is Bone Saw, another short-lived band created by two former members of Demogoth. Finally, we have As the Sea Parts. I was going to save them for a future doom/death issue, but seeing that they finally released their first full-length album, I decided to review their cult classic demo Trilogy of Sorrow.
Morgue - Eroded Thoughts
Morgue was one of several death metal bands that emerged from the Chicago area in the early-'90s. They formed in 1990, put out two demos, recorded a full-length called Eroded Thoughts in 1993, and broke up two years later. Their most notable member was Brian Stream, who was the drummer for the technical thrash metal band Epitaph.
Production duties were handled by former Metal Onslaught member Martti Payne. He did a mighty fine job here. All the different elements come through clearly while still retaining their heaviness. Musically, these guys sound like Autopsy, which means they often break up their fast-paced sections with slow and crushing passages. The drums are played by Ceremonius member Nick Sebock. His blast beats are precise, his mid-paced rhythms are stuffed full of thumping double bass, and his slow beats hit hard.
Both the bass and vocals are handled by frontman Brad Buldak. He performs a deep yet hoarse growl similar in style to Chris Reifert, and they sound great. I'm much more impressed by his bass work. The riffs he plays can be quite complex at times. If you're wondering where Brad is now, he is currently the frontman of Absconder. The guitars are played by Ryan Jerzak and Darrel Moore. Their tremolo riffs and palm-muted riffs are menacing. Sometimes they'll launch into a breakdown where they play groovy chord progressions. There are also moments when they slow down even further and play doom-like riffs that can ultimately be traced back to Black Sabbath. Some of their faster chord progressions, like those on "Severe Psychopathology," contain traces of thrash metal influence. Others are more technical, like what Death was doing around the same time. They also play some solos that are sometimes frenzied and other times slow and groovy.
Eroded Thoughts is an excellent album filled with diverse songwriting and strong instrumental work. It's a shame that nearly all the members of Morgue left the metal scene after they broke up because they were clearly talented. This album was re-released by Dark Descent Records back in 2014, so if you're interested in listening to it, then buy a copy from them.
Infamy (US, CA) - The Blood Shall Flow
Infamy is a Californian death metal band that formed from the ashes of an older band called Entety in 1995. They released their first demo Count the Dead later that same year. It was okay, but the music was rough and the production was unpolished. Three years later, they released their first and so far only full-length album The Blood Shall Flow.
The production quality has drastically improved since their first demo. It's heavy and a bit dirty, but it still has enough clarity to let the finer elements shine through. James Grijalva is a great drummer. He offers up a diverse range of patterns, from blast beats to mid-paced rhythms full of rapid double bass to slower, groovy beats. He also includes an extraordinary amount of cymbal work throughout.
Both the bass and the vocals are handled by Joshua Heatley. His riffs mostly follow the guitars, but their rumbling quality make them sound like they're emanating from an infernal pit beneath the Earth. Some tracks, such as "Onslaught of Carnage," show this off more clearly than others. His vocals are even better. They're deep and sound ghastly, perfectly matching the diabolical mood of the rest of the album. Sadly, this would be his last performance, for he died shortly before this album's release.
The guitars are played by Mark Casillias and Memo Mora. Their many palm-muted riffs and chord progressions are very low-pitched and gritty, further reinforcing the fiery atmosphere of the music. Their tremolo riffs make the mood even more diabolical. Some of their fast-paced riffs have a slight grindcore influence, and some of their slower passages, like those on "The Maggots Are in Me," remind me of Carcass. An interesting thing to note is that the opening riff on "Mass Cremation" sounds very similar to the one on Fear Factory's "Scumgrief." There aren't that many solos on here, but the few that are present, like the one on "Onslaught of Carnage," are delightfully chaotic.
The Blood Shall Flow is a dark and menacing death metal show of force. The slightly gritty production makes for a great atmosphere and the instrumental work is excellent. Infamy are still around, but they have yet to release anything new.
Mortifix - Reborn Through Hatred
I've been aware of this album for a long time, but I never got around to reviewing it until now. Mortifix was a death metal band from Dallas, Texas that lasted from 1991 to 2001. They put out a slew of demos, but their most famous release was their only full-length album Reborn Through Hatred, which came out in 1999 and was limited to 1,000 copies. The cover art was what drew me to it. It has this rough yet surreal quality that makes it quite memorable.
At just half an hour long, this album is quite brief, but it assaults you from beginning to end. The production was handled by D. Braxton Henry, who is best known for producing Devourment's Molesting the Decapitated (which also came out in 1999, by the way). He did a great job on here achieving a balance between heaviness and clarity. The drums are played by Tom Brewer. As far as I know, this was the only album on which he performed, which I find incredibly odd. It's not every day that you encounter a musician who played on just one album. He proves himself to be highly skilled, though. His skank beats and blast beats are ferocious, his slow beats are crushing, and he makes sure to throw in plenty of strong fills.
The bass is played by Allen Culmo, who would later play for Prophecy. He mostly follows the guitars, but his performance bolsters the rest of the music, making it sound even more deadly. The vocals are done by Shawn Cooley. He performs a deep yet hoarse growl similar to those done by the likes of George Fisher. They sound delightfully sick, and there are also a few moments like on "Anger and Hate" when he exhibits a hardcore influence. The guitars are played by Ronny Sterling and Steve Simpson. Funny thing about Ronny: he currently works as an assistant high school principal. These two play a lot of fast-paced chord progressions that draw heavy influence from thrash metal. It is also during these moments that they play aggressive palm-muted riffs and frantic tremolo riffs. When things slow down, they play groovy, hardcore-influenced passages. Some of these slow sections can get intriguingly melodic, like those on "Prey" and "Sadness."
Reborn Through Hatred is a buried treasure. It's one of the best death metal albums I've heard in a long time. I regret not listening to it earlier. Despite its short runtime, it features an incredible amount of diverse elements and musical skill. It deserves a re-release.
Demogoth - Flesh Consumed
For every successful and popular Floridian death metal band, there were ten others that didn't last long and got barely any attention. Demogoth was one of them. They formed in 1991, released one demo called Flesh Consumed one year later, and broke up shortly thereafter. I listened to this over a decade ago and enjoyed it quite a bit. It still holds up.
As to be expected from an old and obscure demo like this, the production is rough and unpolished, but I can still hear everything just fine. The drums are played by Tony Hicks. His blast beats are frantic, his mid-paced rhythms are quite intricate, his slow passages are strong, and he punctuates all of these different patterns with great fills. The bass is played by John Ruff. Though a bit hard to hear, his performance is sometimes groovy and other times complex. "Buried Alive" features the best display of his skills.
The liner notes say there are two different vocalists on here: Lance Sells and Chris Nodzelka. Both of them perform nearly identical deep guttural growls. They sound great, but I fail to see the point of utilizing two separate yet similar sounding vocalists. Peter Joseph plays the guitars. His palm-muted riffs and open chords are low-pitched and diabolical, and he frequently breaks them up with pinch harmonics. Most interesting of all are the primitive slam riffs on "Laid to Rest." It's astounding just how quickly the scene was developing back then.
This demo may not reach the same lofty heights as some of the more famous death metal releases from Florida, but it's still enjoyable. The slam riffs are the best part.
Bone Saw - Till Death Do We Part
After Demogoth broke up, two of the members - Tony Hicks and Peter Joseph - formed a new band called Bone Saw. They recorded just one demo called Till Death Do We Part in 1993 and broke up shortly thereafter. This is a common story with metal bands. Many of them are one demo wonders.
As with Demogoth's demo, the production here is rough and even a bit muffled at times. I've listened to so many demos like this over the years that it's not really a problem for me. The death metal on here has a more thrashing quality similar to Obituary. Drummer Tony Hicks plays a few raging blast beats on occasion, but he focuses less on those and more on mid-paced rhythms and slower beats. The bassist is Andy Gleason, who, as far as I can tell, never played in anything else. His performance here is quite complex, reminding me of early-'90s Death at times.
Frontman Peter Joseph handles both vocals and lead guitars. His growls are hoarse and sick, similar in style to John Tardy but with a lower pitch. Joining Peter on guitars is Mike Joseph. It's unknown if Mike and Peter are related or if it's just a coincidence that they have the same last name. The tone is heavy and many of the mid-paced riffs are equally chunky. Some of these chord progressions manage to sound a bit infectious. They also play some frantic palm-muted riffs during the fast-paced parts. I was most impressed by the title track, which features outstanding solos.
It's unfortunate that this demo is barely ten minutes long because the music here is excellent. Such is the case with so many old and obscure metal bands. They broke up before they got the chance to truly shine.
As the Sea Parts - Trilogy of Sorrow
This right here is one of my favorite metal demos. As the Sea Parts is a melodic doom/death metal band from Woodbridge, Virginia. It is the brainchild of Paul Vanderslice and Erik Sayenga, who formed it in 1995. One year later, they released a demo called Trilogy of Sorrow. They persisted for a while before breaking up at some point in 2002. About a decade later, the demo was found by the internet, spread around various piracy forums and blogs, and became a cult classic.
The production is a bit muffled, but it's not so bad that it ruins the experience for me. I've definitely heard worse. Erik Sayenga handles drum and bass. When it comes to the drums, he mostly plays slow and straightforward beats, but there are a few moments when he picks up the pace and throws in some double bass. All of these different patterns are played very well and have a lot of impact despite the poor production. I especially like the cymbal work. The deep and somber bass riffs can also be heard well despite mostly following the guitars.
Paul Vanderslice handles vocals and guitars. His vocals consist of a mid-ranged growl that is typical of the time period, but still sounds nice. He also includes some spoken word parts. The guitar is his main area of expertise, though. He fills the runtime with contemplative chord progressions, arpeggios, and palm-muted riffs. Into all of these different riffs he weaves a strong sense of melody. It's this melody that makes the demo truly memorable. The opening riff from "Our Home No More" still pops into my head every now and then years after I first listened to it. He makes things even more interesting by playing some slow and wonderful leads.
Trilogy of Sorrow may not be extravagant or complex and it may not have the best production, but it's deeply emotional. There is a stoic beauty to its simplicity. It's like a rough gem freshly pulled from the dirt. It's a pleasant sight despite its imperfections. That's why I love it so much. It's an unfiltered expression of the soul. I have listened to so many stellar metal albums over the decades, but I always find myself coming back to this demo. It has that special enchanted quality that so many other releases lack.