UMUR
"Unmerciful Order" is an EP release by Brazilian death/thrash metal act Krisiun. The EP was released through Dynamo Records in March 1994. Krisiun formed in 1990 and released three demos and a couple of split releases before being signed to Dynamo Records for the release of "Unmerciful Order". While Krisiun are mostly known as the trio of the Kolesne (and Camargo) brothers Moyses, Max, and Alex, the band were a quartet in the early years and therefore the material on "Unmerciful Order" also features the playing of rhythm guitarist Mauricio Nogueira.
While "Unmerciful Order" is catalogued as an EP, it´s actually more a compilation of early recordings by the band (including the two tracks from the 1993 "Rises from Black/Harmony Dies" split release with Harmony Dies). Therefore the sound quality is a bit up and down and it´s audible that the tracks were recorded at diffferent recording sessions. Stylistically it´s raw, noisy, and relatively simple old school death metal. The vocals are growling and brutal, the drums pound away in an almost unhinged fashion, and the guitars sound like a buzzaw to metal. It´s safe to say this isn´t a professional production job, but it´s definitely authentic and raw to the bone. The material is pretty one-dimensional in nature and while Krisiun would go on to have a relatively successful career, it´s not obvious why from listening to "Unmerciful Order".
To my ears, it´s a below standard quality release for the genre both in terms of production values, musicianship, and songwriting, and it´s not a release which is easy to appreciate unless you enjoy the most raw and simple old school demo death metal recordings, or maybe the earliest releases by the unholy German trinity of Kreator, Sodom, and Destruction (the rawness and primal nature of the music point in that direction). A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.