We're getting into the really old and obscure reaches of the American death metal scene now. Some of these demos came out all the way back in 1987. I've already talked about Necrovore and Terminal Death, but trust me, there's a lot more where that came from. First up is Incubus, a Georgian band that featured former Morbid Angel drummer Mike Browning. After that is Matricide, which was formed by another former Morbid Angel member. Baphomet, the next featured band, is an intriguing storm of thrash metal, death metal, and black metal. The band after that, Necrophile, is more on the thrash metal side of things, but they do have some primordial death metal elements. Finally, we have Sick from hate, a band so violent and chaotic that they almost sound like grindcore.
Incubus (US, GA) - Incubus
There were two different American bands named Incubus active around the same time. One was a death/thrash band from Louisiana and the other was a death metal band from Georgia. This one is the latter. This band was formed by Sterling Scarborough in 1986. They existed for three years before splitting up. They were very active during their short existence, doing many rehearsals and shows, but their output was almost non-existent. That's because Scarborough would get violently angry whenever he found out that his rehearsals were being recorded. That's why this 1987 demo is the only proof the band ever existed: it was recorded in secret.
Because this was recorded in secret, the production quality is obviously not the best. The sound is very dirty, but I've heard worse. The music sounds like a faster and more extreme Venom. Both the bass and the vocals are handled by Sterling Scarborough. Since the production is so unpolished, his bass can't be heard all that well, but you can still pick them up if you strain your ears enough. They mostly follow the guitars, but the performance is still great. His vocals are much more impressive. He performs a lot of gruff growls that remind me of Kam Lee. He also does some crazed screams on occasion.
The drum kit is manned by Mike Browning. He was a great drummer in Morbid Angel and he's a great drummer here. His blast beats are furious, almost as good as those done by Pete Sandoval. He also plays a lot of finely crafted mid-paced rhythms and fills. The guitar work is handled by Gino Marino. He plays a lot of fast-paced chord progressions that still have a strong thrash metal quality to them, but there are also moments when he plays some fiery palm-muted riffs that are more in line with death metal as we know it. I was even more impressed by his choatic solos.
This demo is an amazing piece of metal history. Not only is the music thrilling, but it also shows just how extreme the scene was getting even back in 1987. As for what happened to the band members, Sterling Scarborough killed himself on November 9, 2006. Gino Marino died of cancer on July 7, 2017. Mike Browning is still around. His band Nocturnus AD even put out a new album last year.
Matricide (US, FL) - Mother's Day
Matricide is a Floridian death metal band formed in 1987 by John Ortega shortly after he left Morbid Angel. They released just two demos before they split up. Mother's Day was their first.
The production is pretty decent by demo standards, for I can hear everything quite well. The vocals are performed by a mysterious man named Glen Lawn, who performed for Matricide and no one else. He's not very good. He uses a lot of vocal effects to hide the fact that he can't growl. John Ortega handles everything else. The drums are obviously programmed, but they aren't as bad as Mortician's drum machine. Their blast beats are fast and precise, and their galloping rhythms are equally accurate. The guitar work is where he truly shines. His rapid chord progressions are still rooted in thrash metal, but his palm-muted riffs and mid-paced chord progressions are a continuation of what he did in Morbid Angel. His extravagant solos also pay homage to Trey Azagthoth.
This demo is far from perfect, but it was still fun and interesting to listen to. It's always fascinating to see what former members of big bands went on to do.
Matricide (US, FL) - Elysium
One year after the release of Mother's Day, Matricide put out Elysium, their only other demo. The production has a bit more polish, which shows in the greater impact of the instrumental performance. Speaking of which, that has improved as well. I don't know if the drums are still programmed, but if they are, then they no longer sound so obvious. They also have a lot more variety, for they provide us with steady mid-paced rhythms and many elaborate fills. The guitars utilize the same formula that was present on the previous demo: lots of thrashing chord progressions, palm-muted riffs, and a few mid-paced passages. As for the solos, they have gotten even crazier and more complex. John Ortega does the vocals himself now. He's better then Glen Dawn, but his harsh shouts don't feel extreme enough. Overall, this was a pretty nice demo despite its flaws.
Baphomet (US, UT) - Baphomet
Here's another band called Baphomet. This one was a primitive death metal band from Utah of all places. They formed in 1986, released a self-titled demo one year later, then broke up shortly thereafter. This four song demo would go on to become a cult classic.
Since this was recorded before death metal's various tropes were set in stone, the music ends up sounding unorthodox to modern ears. Thrash metal, death metal, and black metal traits are combined into a dark maelstrom. It even begins with a quite lovely clean guitar intro. The drums are played by Paul Gilbert. He plays a lot of primitive blast beats that sound savage even by modern standards. Sometimes he plays more standard fast-paced thrashing rhythms, and there are also a few moments when he slows things down and plays some creeping beats. It's hard to hear Mike Mulholland's bass work most of the time, but he proves himself to be quite talented, especially in the first two minutes of the demo.
Frontman Mark Earl handles both vocals and guitars. Joining him on guitars is Kaj Valentiner. Mark performs sinister raspy vocals that sound like the common ancestor of death metal growls and black metal shrieks. They sound great and amplify the dark mood the band was going for. When it comes to the guitars, they play a lot of chord progressions, arpeggios, and palm-muted riffs that are firmly rooted in thrash metal, but still sound more extreme and diabolical than anything that had come before. The songs are also longer than those composed by other bands around the same time, so the songwriting exhibits a progressive quality by frequently switching patterns and time signatures. All of the riffs are composed very well, so they hold my attention throughout the runtime. They also play some excellent frantic solos.
Of the many, many metal bands I have listened to since 2003, this is one of the most fascinating. It's like an ancient fossil. You can identify all of the elements that would evolve and make their presence known in modern lifeforms. Not only that, but the music is great and still holds up well today.
Necrophile (US, NJ) - Apostle of Destruction
Necrophile was an obscure death/thrash band from New Jersey that formed in the mid-1980s, released a single demo called Apostle of Destruction in 1986, and broke up at some point after that. Their most notable member was Joe Moore, who would go on to play for Blood Feast.
The band's music sounds like a more aggressive rendition of what New York thrash metal bands were producing around the same time. There's an infernal quality to their punkish nature. Drummer Joe Moore plays a great many galloping d-beats that are sometimes broken up by prowling mid-paced rhythms. A large number of his patterns include rumbling double bass, and he also makes sure to include some nice fills. The bass is played by Scott Stegg, and he does a great job here. His riffs are finely crafted and they can be heard extremely well despite the raw production.
Both the vocals and guitars are handled by Tommy Caruso. His vocal performance consists of harsh shouts that are reminiscent of Tom Araya, but he makes himself stand out by doing more vicious screams. His true talent, though, lies in his guitar work. He plays many palm-muted riffs that had become standard in thrash metal by that time, but his chord progressions offer up a bit more complexity. I was especially impressed by his large quantity of arpeggios. He also includes a wild screeching solo in every song.
Thrash metal did not instantly become death metal overnight. Like so many other things, this evolution was a gradual process, and demos like this are proof. Though Necrophile is mostly thrash metal at its core, they do have some nascent elements, namely their extreme aggression, that would become fully formed in death metal.
Sick from Hate - Demo
This band has quite the history. It began with a death/thrash band called Necromansy, which formed in West Haven, Connecticut in 1985. They put out four demos over the course of one year before splitting up. Some of the members formed another band called Sounds from Hell. In 1987, they changed their name to Sick from Hate, released just one demo, and then dissolved. Their guitarist, Greg Alfonso, was the only one who would go on to do anything else in the metal scene.
The band arrived at their death metal formula by way of crossover thrash. They took their various influences and increased the intensity until the final product bordered on sounding like grindcore. Most of this is thanks to drummer Shawn Canfield. His blast beats are chaotic. The one that kicks off the album sounds exactly like the one at the beginning of "Effigy of the Forgotten" by Suffocation. The most violent ones can be found on "Nightmares of Death." He's not all blasting, though, for he takes the time to play some vibrant mid-paced rhythms full of rumbling double bass. He also throws in some nice fills at certain moments. Despite the unpolished production, I'm able to hear Bill Thornton's excellent bass work with utmost clarity.
The vocalist is not mentioned in the liner notes, which leads me to believe that it's one of the three members who are named. This mystery man performs a gruff shout that borders on sounding like a growl at times. He also performs some strangled streams on occasion. The screams could have used some refinement, but the gruff shouts sound pretty good. Greg Alfonso is a great guitarist. His fiery palm-muted riffs can easily compete with most of the extreme thrash metal bands and proto-grindcore bands of his day. These are often broken up by belligerent mid-paced chord progressions and insidious arpeggios. He also plays many deranged solos.
The most obscure reaches of the metal scene often contain the greatest surprises. This is one such case. I was not expecting much from them, but then they struck me with musical fury. It's unfortunate that they broke up so soon because they could have used their ferocity to make a name for themselves in the underground.