UMUR
"A Slice of Death" is the first demo release by US, Buffalo, New York based thrash metal act Beyond Death. The demo was independently released on cassette tape in November 1987. Beyond Death formed in 1986 and originally existed until bassist Alex Webster and guitarist Jack Owen left to form Cannibal Corpse along with three members of contemporary Buffalo thrash metal act Tirant Sin.
"A Slice of Death" features three tracks and a total playing time of 6 minutes. "Victims" and "Agonizing Death" are both aggressive thrash metal tracks influenced by the likes of Slayer and Dark Angel, which actually isn´t far removed from what Tirant Sin did at the same time, although Tirant Sin was slightly more aggressive and also leaned a bit towards the caustic teutonic sound. "I Love You, I Hope You Die" is a short "funny" crossover track, which opens in silly rock mode and ends in fast-paced crossover thrash metal mode. The sound production of the demo is decent, but there´s nothing out of the ordinary for the style found here, and to my ears the most interesting thing about this demo is you get to hear Alex Webster sing. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.