UMUR "Manual Manic Procedures" is the second full-length studio album by US, Ohio based death metal act 200 Stab Wounds. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in June 2024. It´s the successor to Slave To The Scalpel from 2021, although 200 Stab Wounds did release the 2023 "Masters of Morbidity" stop-gap single (featuring two non-album tracks). There has been one lineup change since the debut album as guitarist Lance Buckley has been replaced by Raymond Macdonald.

Stylistically 200 Stab Wounds haven´t changed much since the last album, still playing an old school but still not too retro sounding type of death metal. Brutal and varied grooves, both death metal and thrash metal influenced riffs, and some brutal growling vocals in front. "Manual Manic Procedures" features a fat, heavy, and brutal sounding production job which along with the (for the style) relatively varied songwriting are the greatest assets of the album. The band are well playing too.

Upon conclusion "Manual Manic Procedures" is another good quality death metal release from 200 Stab Wounds and the greater emphasis on brutal grooves and breaks is an interesting feature of the album, which provide the music with something a little more unique than what many other contemporary death metal artists put out. When that is said, "Manual Manic Procedures" still use trid and true musical elements...they are just combined in an effectful and rewarding way. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

siLLy puPPy Dissonant and psychedelic tech death metal is killin’ it in the 2020s with long established bands coming of age and blowing away the competition en masse. Long timers like Pyrrhon, Ulcerate and Mitochondrion are continuing to up their game with each subsequent release and newer bands like Blood Incantation are perfecting all these elements with amazing precision. You can add the Tampa based GIGAN to that list which started as far back as 2006 and has continued to pummel the world of extreme metal ever since. Having taken a whopping seven year hiatus this power trio has returned with founder Eric Hersemann (bass, guitar, synthesizer, theremin) along with decade long drummer Nate Cotton and growler-in-chief Jerry Kavouriaris who returns for his second album with the band. GIGAN is back with yet another multisyllabic album, ANOMALOUS ABSTRACTIGATE INFINITESSIMUS which melds the now established worlds of sci-fiction debauchery with the blitzkrieg wizardry of world class disso-death metal.

Named after the alien cyborg kaiju who first appeared in the 1972 film “Godzilla vs. Gigan,” this ultimate weapon of the M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens which was deployed to Earth to aid the alien invader’s conquest of the planet proves to be the perfect namesake for this technically infused band that worships the alter of brutality and dissonance. While not the first extreme metal band to delve into the world of Lovecraftian horror fiction and strange diabolical fantasy, GIGAN has practically perfected its idiosyncratic style of surreal convoluted compositional constructs fortified by unrelenting tempos, bantering abrasiveness and strange twisted concepts. The album opens with the 8-minute “Trans-Dimensional Crossing of the Alta-Tenuis” which explodes like a bomb on Hiroshima with the turbulent drumming cacophony of Nathan Cotton who delvers some of the most demanding and demonic tech death performances in the biz. Oscillating waves of dissonant guitar riffing assail the senses as the band delivers a chaotic brutality that was woefully missing on the previous album (at least at this magnitude).

“Ultra-Violet Shimmer and Permeating Infra-sound” doesn’t let up with an even more brutal decibel rampage as the guitar riffing and bass bantering become every more chaotic with ever more complex percussive clamor and freaky slide guitar effects while Kavouriasis’ vocal style becomes insane asylum material. While taking the brutality to the next level the wild synthesized atmospheric note slides adds a touch of surreality to the whole shebang all graced by the off-kilter production techniques that take things even further into the abstract world of surreality and mind-fuckery. The most bizarre track of all comes with “Emerging Sects of Dagonic Acolytes,” a 10-minute excursion into the a bizarre tightrope act between extreme death metal acrobatics coupled with psychedelic rock techniques and free improvisation abstruseness. While starting off as a somewhat “normal” GIGAN track, things start to get weirder and weirder to the point where you feel like you’ve totally lost your sanity and all connection to reality as the band goes down one of its most surreal rabbit hole escapades to date.

And the Lovecraftian surrealism doesn’t stop there. Each track delivers another powerful punch of erratic techy death metal with freaky guitar solos and convoluted riffing patterns. “Erratic Pulsitivity and Horror” is like the closest thing to a musical seizure i’ve ever experienced while “The Strange Harvest of the Baganoids” offers some of the strangest twanging jangle guitar chops ever experienced and features a strange time signature dynamic that makes you feel like you’re traveling through a turbulent asteroid belt on the Millennium Falcon. As the album closes with “Ominous Silhouettes Cast Across Gulfs of Time,” the band engages in another lengthy near 8-minute battle of chaos and order only this time with a more doomy introduction with plodding guitar stomps and ominous distortion but then the track breaks into a bifurcated effect of rampaging death metal along with the plodding effects, yet another wild surreal display of creative craftiness or should i say Lovecraftiness.

Wow! Mind blown!!!! While i still loved GIGAN’s approach on the previous “Undulating Waves of Rainbiotic Iridescence,” it seemed like the band was toning down the intensity a bit from its previous “Multi-Dimensional Fractal Sorcery And Super Science” so in effect ANOMALOUS ABSTRACTIGATE INFINITESSIMUS was a make or break type of album for me although i could never totally write this top band in my collection. As it turns out this fifth installment of the GIGAN universe is its best effort yet and combines the perfect combo punch of brutal bombastic techy death metal drenched in dissonant disdain coupled with the heady mind-altering effects of psychedelia and surrealism. The band has outdone itself with this one with each track standing out as a testament to its creative prowess taken to the next level and beyond. Yeah, baby! This is what 21st century death metal is all about! Two listens in and i’m ready to push play again, something the last album didn’t quite coax me into doing. I’ve been a fan of this band for over a decade now and i’m utterly thrilled beyond measure that not only has the band returned to its avant-garde unorthodoxies from its beginnings but has delivered them all in such a brutal excellence that totally caught me off guard. I think this band has been raised a few notches on my favorite extreme metal band list.

siLLy puPPy Following the trajectory of the Finnish psychedelic black metal band ORANSSI PAZUZU is like experiencing an Earth based band fall into a wormhole and accidentally tagging along for the ride. While starting out as a somewhat recognizable black metal band all the way back in 2009 with its debut “Muukalainen Puhuu,” ORANSSI PAZUZU incrementally left the gravitational pull of our host planet and has taken a bonafide space journey into a world of its own making. This eclectic quintet has returned after a four year hiatus with its latest effort MUUNTAUTUJA which translates into something like “Transformative” or “Shapeshifter” which is exactly what this idiosyncratic and eccentric band has clearly become.

MUUNTAUTUJA marks another step beyond the once established parameters of black metal and takes the band into a bizarre web of neo-psychedelia that finds electronic influences taking a much larger role in crafting strange futuristic soundscapes that offer wild otherworldly spaced out effects. While the black metal hasn’t been totally usurped by gurgling synthesizers, trip hop based beats and ominous industrial sounds, any traces of Scandinavian kvlt majesty have been set way down in the mix as to leave only distorted guitar distortion rumblings and the band’s classic raspy vocal style as a beacon of light that points to its origins. Something like a modern day Ulver that never jettisoned the black metal furor, ORANSSI PAZUZU has reached the middle of its wormhole journey with one of its strangest albums yet.

One of the most inventive black metal bands to have emerged in the 21st century, ORANSSI PAZUZU set off like a voyage on the Star Trek Voyager and has crafted a truly unique sound that never remains stationary from album to album. While the earlier albums showcased a post-metal-like procession with cyclical riffs that slowly ratcheted up to crescendoing uproar, the band has always teased in psychedelic embellishments that have indubitably initiated a completely new genre called space metal. By the time the band got to “Mestarin Kynsi” it was apparent that these Finns were heading to the stars without looking back and boldly going where no black metal band has gone before. And the best thing of all is that these talented musicians actually created interesting song structures that made you want to tune in rather than send them off on their mission.

This band has always reveled in juxtaposing the most polarized opposite musical genres together and making strange bedfellows sound like a predestined fit. MUUNTAUTUJA only ups the ante as it takes you on a transcendental musical excursion into an alternate universe where Blut Aus Nord and Portishead commingle in darkened corners with Death Grips and Philip Glass with a touch of Massive Attack, Ministry and Mad Capsule Markets. From the very first oscillating tones of “Bioalkemisti” it’s clear that MUUNTAUTUJA is a completely different beast than what came before and another incremental leap down the avant-garde rabbit hole with surreal musical motifs that shapeshift from one track to the next that sample from a cauldron where the disparate worlds of progressive rock, black metal, trip hop, 20th century classical and industrial rock have been simmering in an undisclosed locus in the midst of the vast Finnish forests.

Along with Dodheimsgard, Ulver, Ved Buens Ende and Ram-Zet, ORANSSI PAZUZU has become one of Scandinavia’s most forward thinking bands and with the closing “Vierivä usva” totally drifting off into space and leaving the metal mojo behind one can’t help but wonder if this band is going to pull an Ulver on us and completely jump into the world of avant-garde electronica. Wherever this inventive band leads many of us avant-metal nerds will surely follow as it is virtually guaranteed that this band will take you somewhere you never knew existed. While i personally found the previous album to be more of my liking, this one is definitely a wild ride into the world of cosmos metal that will leave you gasping for air as you drift beyond the limits our Earthly realms.

Kev Rowland Dååth began their journey in 1999, releasing four studio albums and touring with Slayer, Nile, Cattle Decapitation, Dark Funeral, Cynic, Dragonforce, Goatwhore, Chimaira, Dying Fetus and others before going on hiatus in 2011. They have finally returned with their first album in 14 years, although founder/guitarist Eyal Levi has overseen a complete overhaul of the lineup, with only singer Sean Zatorsky still there from the old days. Together they have been joined by Kerim “Krimh” Lechner on drums, Jesse Zuretti on orchestration and guitar, Rafael Trujillo on lead guitar, and David Marvuglio on bass. In addition, there are numerous guests providing guitar solos including Jeff Loomis (Nevermore, Arch Enemy), Mark Holcomb (Periphery), Dean Lamb (Archspire), Per Nilsson, (Scar Symmetry, Meshuggah), Spiro Dussias (Platonist), and Dan Sugarman (Ice Nine Kills), while video game composer Mick Gordon (Doom Eternal) contributed sound design and synth to “Purified By Vengeance.” By the way, for those who are interested the name "Daath" is a Hebrew word meaning "knowledge", which is certainly much more interesting than their original name, Dirtnap.

I remember reading about Dååth when they were around first time, but I don’t think I had previously come across their music and picked this up due to a combination of name recognition and them being on Metal Blade, but I am so very glad I did as this is a belter. Having not heard their earlier material I cannot comment as to how much they may have changed musically, but what I can say is that here is melodic death metal which also relies heavily on huge arrangements and orchestration. In some ways they come across as a mix of Fleshgod Apocalypse and classic Dimmu Borgir, with complex layering of guitars, always driven from the back by a great rhythm section, orchestration over the top and some great growls out front. Zatorsky has been keeping himself busy with Chimaira and Sinsaenum, but this is where he is truly at home, with his relationship with Levi continuing on as if they have never been apart. They may have been away for well over a decade but Dååth are back with a vengeance.

adg211288 The US death metal act Blood Incantation has already established themselves as a major act of their genre. It was apparent, I think, from at least as early as their debut album Starspawn (2016) but really asserted on Hidden History of the Human Race (2019). They played progressive death metal but without over reliance on the technical death metal sub-genre. Absolute Elsewhere (2024) is their third studio album and although they've left it so long between their primary records Blood Incantation has been far from idle and in the intervening years has taken the time to explore other avenues of music, most notably space ambient on the EP (which is actually album length and was until Absolute Elsewhere actually their longest release) Timewave Zero (2022). They then released the maxi-single Luminescent Bridge (2023) which saw them combining elements from both their progressive death metal and ambient work. Luminescent Bridge's two songs are included on the deluxe edition of Absolute Elsewhere as a bonus disc as is a second completely ambient release not currently available elsewhere calls All Gates Open.

Absolute Elsewhere is a very different beast to either of the previous Blood Incantation studio albums and if you haven't been paying attention to what they've been doing since Hidden History of the Human Race, it may come as a surprise but if you have been you will know that Blood Incantation isn't content to be a one trick pony. This album features just two songs (broken up into three tracks each and branded as Tablets by the band) which see them combining all different kinds of music into their sound. Expect lots of shifts between their cavernous death metal sound and lighter music, including synth driven stuff which also included a guest spot for Thorsten Quaeschning, the current band leader of Berlin School giants Tangerine Dream. As an album Absolute Elsewhere owes as much to Pink Floyd as it does Morbid Angel. Both the songs or suites, if you prefer, cross the twenty minute border.

It is simply one of those albums where there are so many intricacies present that coming back to it for more time after time again reveals more and more about it. I'm already on my twelfth listen as of putting this review together. While it may need saying that they might be now too far gone for the more purist of death metal fans, for whom these continual let-ups in the intensity may serve as unnecessary distraction, I don't feel that Blood Incantation has moved into the world better described as extreme progressive metal as inhabited by Opeth or Ihsahn: they leave no doubt over their death metal allegiances when they're really giving it welly. This is death metal, just enhanced into a cosmic experience, taking you through stargates to deliver it's message. I am floored by it.

For me, Blood Incantation just released in Absolute Elsewhere not only their best album yet, but also one of the most outright interesting death metal albums to be released for a long time. It is the album that sets the standard for the rest of the year that other bands are going to have to better if they are to dethrone it from being my top album of 2024.

UMUR "Those Who Have Lost The Right To Exist" is the debut full-length studio album by German death metal act Amboss. The album was released through Crypta Records 1993. Amboss released the "Lost..." demo cassette tape album in 1992 but other than the demo, "Those Who Have Lost The Right To Exist" was the only release by Amboss before they disbanded.

Although Amboss is the German word for Anvil, don´t make the mistake of thinking that Amboss sound anything like the legendary Canadians. This is old school death metal with the occasional progressive ideas thrown in (orchestral parts, clean male and female vocals, acoustic guitar parts, song structures in general), and also some technical death metal leanings. Amboss are actually relatively original, but I´d mention fellow countrymen in early Incubator and Dark Millennium as valid references.

"Those Who Have Lost The Right To Exist" features a decent sounding production, but there is room for improvement. The musicianship is on a high level on all posts, and it´s obvious these guys are both skilled musicians and creative composers. Not all songwriting ideas are equally successful, but at least Amboss have the boldness and courage to try. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Church of Deviance" is the second demo release by Swedish death metal act Spawn of Possession. The demo was independently released in September 2001. It succeeds "The Forbidden" demo from 2000. There´s been one lineup change since the first demo as bassist Niklas Dewerud has been added to the lineup, making Spawn of Possession a quartet on "Church of Deviance".

"Church of Deviance" features 3 tracks and a total playing time of 9:08 minutes. More is not needed though to convince the world of the greatness of Spawn of Possession. Jaw-dropping brutal and technical death metal, featuring constant rhythm changes, breaks, and an arsenal of fast-paced brutal riffs. Drummer Dennis Röndum also handles the vocals, and he has a mean and relatively intelligible growling vocal style, which suits the material perfectly. All three tracks on "Church of Deviance" would subsequently be re-recorded and included on the band´s debut full-length studio album "Cabinet" (2003), and that probably makes this demo a bit redundant today, but back then, two years before the release of "Cabinet" (2003), Spawn of Possession definitely put their name on the map.

"Church of Deviance" features a professional and well sounding production job. Every detail is audible in the mix, and there is a good balance between brutality and rawness and technical sophistication and complexity. Upon conclusion "Church of Deviance" is probably one of the most impressive death metal demo releases I have yet come by, and a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Faith Is In Season" is the fourth full-length studio album by US death metal act Master. The album was released through System Shock Records in April 1998. It´s the successor to "Collection Of Souls" from 1993 and feautures quite a few lineup changes since the predecessor as the only remaining members of the lineup who recorded "Collection Of Souls" (1993), are lead vocalist/bassist Paul Speckmann and guitarist Brian Brady. New in the lineup are guitarist Sage Gonzales and drummer Sage Johnson.

Stylistically the material on "Faith Is In Season" continue the simple, raw, and relatively one-dimensional death metal style of the predecessor, and if you expected just a slight bit more sophistication in the songwriting department considering it took the band 5 years to release "Faith Is In Season", you will be disappointed. Master have changed nothing and they sound just as uninspired and tired on "Faith Is In Season" as they did on "Collection Of Souls" (1993). The whole thing goes by without a single great riff or catchy moment to hold on to, and how the band themselves find pleasure in playing and listening to this is beyond me. This is simply not good quality death metal.

"Faith Is In Season" features a decent but not particularly powerful sounding production job, and of course that doesn´t exactly help the material to shine either. After releasing a pretty good quality debut album, Master have been in decline since, and that trend continues on "Faith Is In Season". A 2 - 2.5 star (45%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Omnicoitor" is the sixth demo recording by Dutch thrash/death metal act Thanatos. The demo was independently released in March 1989 and it´s the last demo recording by Thanatos before they got signed by Shark Records for the release of their debut full-length studio album "Emerging from the Netherworlds" (1990).

Stylistically the material on the 4 tracks, 13:29 minutes long demo is a continuation of the aggressive and strongly Kreator influenced thrash metal of the November 1987 "The Day before Tomorrow...." demo. Compared to the earlier releases by Thanatos it´s obvious that the band have become even tighter and more well playing and that their songwriting has become more memorable. Stylistically they haven´t changed much since the November 1986 "Rebirth (demo II)" demo, but they´ve definitely honed their craft and "Omnicoitor" is a well performed, well written, and well produced demo release. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "The Day before Tomorrow...." is the fifth demo recording by Dutch thrash/death metal act Thanatos. The demo was independently released in November 1987. It follows the release of the July 1987 "Official Live Tape 1987" live album.

If you´re familiar with the preceding live album the music style on "The Day before Tomorrow...." won´t come as a surprise (all three tracks from the demo also appeared on the live album). It´s early Kreator influenced thrash metal performed by a very well playing band. The performances are tight, aggressive, and nicely fast-paced, while lead vocalist/guitarist Stephan Gebédy snarls his way through the demo with his raw and aggressive voice and delivery.

Personally I think I prefer the more savage live versions of these tracks featured on the "Official Live Tape 1987" live album, but these versions are also worth a listen. The sound production is a professional demo quality production and it´s both raw and clear enough to hear all instruments and vocals. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Official Live Tape 1987" is a live album release by Dutch thrash/death metal band Thanatos. The album was independently released in July 1987. As the title of the album suggests it was originally a cassette tape only release. At this point Thanatos had a few demos out and most of the tracks on the live album are culled from those demos. In addition to the songs from the previous demo releases, the tracklist also features a few new original compositions and a couple of cover tracks by D.R.I. ("Snap" and "Couch Slouch") and Celtic Frost ("Dethroned Emperor").

Most tracks were recorded at the "Dingus" in Venray, The Netherlands on July 24th, 1987, but a few tracks were recorded during three other shows in The Netherlands during April and June 1987. Thanatos are arguably a well playing band and the performances are tight and aggressive. There´s some nice communication to the audience from lead vocalist/guitarist Stephan Gebédy in the Dutch language, and it´s obvious from the crowd reactions that they greatly enjoy what they are witnessing. Stylistically this is raw and aggressive thrash metal in the vein of early Kreator.

A bit surprisingly maybe since this is an independent live album release from July 1987, the sound production is actually of a pretty good quality and you´re able to hear all instruments and vocals clearly in the mix and that´s a bit of an accomplishment considering the fast-paced nature and rawness of the material. So upon conclusion "Official Live Tape 1987" is a good quality release from Thanatos and definitely their most professional release up until then. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Rebirth (demo II)" is the fourth demo recording by Dutch thrash/death metal act Thanatos. The demo was independently released in November 1986. At this point original guitarist/bassist Remco de Maaijer had left and original drummer only performs on two out of four tracks on the demo. I´m not sure about his absence from the two other tracks, where the drums are performed by Rob de Bruijn, but as he appears on the subsequent releases by Thanatos he wasn´t out of the band. André Scherpenberg has joined as the band´s new bassist.

As mentioned the demo features 4 tracks. "Rebirth" is a heavy opener, which is predominantly instrumental, and "Outward of the Inward" is a more regular track featuring more vocals. I´m getting a strong early Kreator influence from this particular track, and Thanatos are at this point more a brutal and aggressive thrash metal band than a death metal ditto. The third track is yet another re-recorded version of "Speed Kills", which is a track which had already appaered on the first and the second demos from Thanatos. It´s not a problem though as it´s a really good quality thrash metal track. "Reincarnation" closes the demo and it´s another good quality aggressive thrash metal song.

"Rebirth (demo II)" features the most well sounding and professional production job on a Thanatos release up until then, although it´s still pretty rough around the edges and presents the music in a raw and unpolished form. Upon conclusion I personally found the preceding September 1985 "Promo Demo" demo to feature a more unique and extreme sound and this demo a little less interersting, but there´s nothing wrong with the quality of the overall product and if you enjoy your thrash metal as savage and raw as possible this demo is definitely recommendable. A 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Promo Demo" is the third demo recording by Dutch thrash/death metal act Thanatos. The demo was independently released in September 1985. It features three re-recorded tracks from the December 1984 "Speed Kills" demo and the studio version of "Progressive Destructor", which first appeared on the June 1985 "Live!" demo. According to lead vocalist/guitarist Stephan Gebédi, Thanatos ran out of tapes of the original "Speed Kills" demo, and they decided to re-record some of the tracks from the demo. Another reason was that they had become a much darker, heavier, and more brutal playing unit since they recorded the "Speed Kills" demo, so they wanted to present the material in a more raw and brutal version.

...which they certainly do, because "Promo Demo" is a very brutal demo considering that it was released in September 1985. I would still call it brutal thrash metal, but I understand if some people refer to it as black metal, blackened thrash metal, or even death metal, because the music features traits from all those genres (which weren´t really coined at this point in time) and it´s definitely a seminal extreme metal demo.

It´s all very noisy, grim, and savage sounding with relentlessly pounding drumming, distorted noisy riffs, screaming solos, and the raw snarling vocals in front. Thanatos were still a relatively immature act but it´s hard not to be impressed by their fierce aggression and also their relatively interesting songwriting ideas. This may be influenced by artists like Venom, Bathory, and Hellhammer, but they still bring something unique to the table. A 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Live!" is the second demo recording by Dutch speed/thrash metal (later death metal) act Thanatos. The demo was indpendently released in June 1985. It´s a demo recorded live at De Lede, Rotterdam, The Netherlands on June 26th, 1985. "Live!" features all material from the December 1984 "Speed Kills" demo plus "Progressive Destructor" which at this point hadn´t been released in a studio version.

The demo is a very raw, noisy, and savage listening experience, but the sound quality is still clear enough to hear the shapes of the songs, make out a riff here and there, and hear the blackened snarling by lead vocalist/guitarist Stephan Gebédi. The drums are just one murky punding and hits on the crash cymbal. I´m sure fans of the most primitive and noisy black metal/blackened thrash metal will love this one. It´s fans of Venom, Bathory, Mayhem, and Hellhammer who´ll find this interesting. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Speed Kills" is the first demo recording by Dutch speed/thrash metal (later death metal) act Thanatos. the demo was independently released in December 1984. Thanatos formed in 1984 and they are widely accepted as one of the first extreme metal acts from The Netherlands and a huge influence on artists like Pestilence, Aspyhx, and Gorefest. Unfortunately history shows that Thanatos weren´t able to capitalize on their underground popularity and therefore didn´t get a label deal until 1990 when they finally released their debut full-length studio album "Emerging from the Netherworlds" through Shark Records. They were hoping to be signed by an American or UK label, but that didn´t happen and they finally were left with no other opportunity than to sign with the relatively small Shark Records, and as a consequence they are not as widely known as artists like Pestilence and Gorefest.

while not being death metal in any type or form "Speed Kills" is still a relatively harsh, aggressive, and brutal sounding speed/thrash metal demo greatly influenced by artists like Venom, Bathory, Slayer, Destruction, and Hellhammer. It´s fast, it´s grim, and it´s savage. Thanatos are a pretty well playing band and lead vocalist/guitarist Stephan Gebédy has a raw snarling delivery (also performing the occasional high pitched scream). The tracks are often spice up with something as unusual as classical influenced acoustic guitar sections, which is in great contrast to the violence of the speed/thrash metal attack that the band otherwise produce (which also includes a lot of screaming solos and lead guitar themes). But they were still a very young band at this point and probably just wanted to show off all their skills.

Featuring 7 tracks and a total playing time of 30:26 minutes you get plenty of time to get to know Thanatos and while "Speed Kills" isn´t the most focused or consistent release it´s still a good quality demo. As the sound quality is also pretty decent for a 1984 demo, a 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating is warranted.