UMUR
"Sick Disgust Eternal" is the first demo recording by Swedish death metal act Grave. The demo was independently released in September 1988. Grave formed in 1986 under the Corpse monicker (although the early beginnings of the band can be traced as far back as 1984 under the Rising Power monicker) and released the "Black Dawn" demo in 1987, before changing their name to Grave.
The Corpse demo features a brutal type of thrash metal, but with the name change Grave have produced a more pure death metal release with "Sick Disgust Eternal". Sure there are still thrash metal traits here and there (surprisingly few though considering the time of release), but it´s obvious that Grave at this point had listened to the early Death, Pestilence, and Carcass releases, and found a new more morbid and rotten direction to take their music. Although Grave came from Visby on the relatively isolated island of Gotland, they were in contact with and often visited contemporary Stockholm artists like Nihilist/Entombed, Dismember, and Tiamat, and they were strongly influenced by their fellow countrymen. But there is a reason why Grave are often mentioned among the seminal Swedish death metal acts (along with Nihilist/Entombed, Dismember, Carnage, and Unleashed). Maybe because of their isolation, they created their own take on Swedish death metal and stood out.
One of the assets of "Sick Disgust Eternal" is the high level musicianship. These guys were actually quite accomplished musicians even this early on their career. The trio lineup deliver great aggressive growling vocals, powerful drumming, brutal intense riffs, and they have a good understanding of effectful songwriting. "Sick Disgust Eternal" features four tracks (one is an intro) and a total playing time of 17:29 minutes. Only "Into the Grave" made it unto Grave´s 1991 debut full-length studio album "Into the Grave" (Century Media Records, August 1991).
The demo was recorded at The Yellow House, Visby on the 30th of August to the 1st of September 1988, and it´s a very well sounding demo recording. All instruments and vocals are clearly defined in the mix. The production is still suitingly raw and unpolished, but it´s certainly in the better end of the sound productions which grace some of the early Swedish death metal demos. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.