UMUR
"Morbid Rehearsals" is the second demo recording by Finnish black/death metal act Beherit. The demo was independently released in March 1990, only a month after the release of the February 1990 "Seventh Blasphemy" demo. Unlike the first demo which was recorded on a four-track tape recorder and featured what can just pass as a studio demo production, "Morbid Rehearsals" is a rehearsal demo recorded live in the band´s rehearsal space on the 28th of March 1990. Three of the tracks are exclusive to this demo while "Grave Desecration" would be re-recorded and included on the June 1990 "Demonomancy" demo.
If you´re familiar with the "Seventh Blasphemy" demo it´s quite amazing how extreme the material on "Morbid Rehearsals" sounds compared to the already pretty raw, aggressive, and brutal material featured on the "Seventh Blasphemy" demo. It´s only been a month...and these guys now play unrelenting blast beats, perform screaming/snarling extreme metal vocals, and deliver a chaotic sounding black metal assault on the ears of the listener. And it´s not just because of the lo-fi and raw rehearsal recording sound quality. Beherit have simply upped the black metal values of their music and have opted for a more extreme sound.
To describe this demo as a rough around the edges raw sounding release, it a bit of an understatement, and it´s probably only the most ardent black metal fans who´ll sit through this and not find it a little hard on the ears. There is great morbid occult charm here though, and it´s certainly a promising release. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.