UMUR
"Visions" is the 3rd demo by Swedish death metal act Desultory. The demo was self-released in January 1992 and sold in 800 cassette tape copies. It´s a professionally recorded demo recorded and mixed in August 1991 at Sunlight Studio with producer Tomas Skogsberg. Desultory formed in 1989 and released the "From Beyond" demo in June 1990. The three tracks featured on "Visions" were reissued on the "Forever Gone" EP from November 1992 along with the three tracks from the February 1991 demo "Death Unfolds". The three demos and the "Forever Gone (1992)" EP helped Desultory secure a three-album deal with Metal Blade Records. The band released their debut full-length studio album "Into Eternity" in February 1993. All three tracks from "Visions" appear on "Into Eternity (1993)" in re-recorded versions.
Stylistically the material on "Visions" continue the melodic old school Swedish death metal style (not Gothenburg melodeath styled death metal) of the "Death Unfolds (1991)" demo. It´s obvious though that the band have grown as musicians and songwriters in the year between the two demos, and if "Death Unfolds (1991)" was a very promising release, "Visions" is an impressive one. Just as the case was on the predecessor the material on "Visions" feature a professional studio recording quality. It´s not audible at all that this is a demo release.
Desultory had a pretty unique style featuring the raspy snarling growling vocal style of Lead vocalist/guitarist Klas Morberg, downtuned and heavy riffs, and lead guitarist Stefan Pöge´s dark melodic leads. The whole thing is kept together by a raw and organic playing rhythm section. This is in every way quality old school Swedish death metal in the more melodic end of the spectrum. There is a dark melancholic atmosphere to the music and the lyrics which are closer in style to artists like contemporary Paradise Lost and Amorphis, than to acts like Entombed and Dismember, if that makes any sense. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.