UMUR
"Consumed by Darkness" is the first demo release by Swedish death metal act Macabre End. The demo was independently released in September 1990. The original cassette tape demo was limited to 100 copies, but Corpse Grinder Records opted to release the material from the demo on a 7" Vinyl EP in 1991 (also titled "Consumed by Darkness"). The vinyl EP was limited to 1.000 copies. It would be the only material released by Macabre End as they changed their name to God Mabacre in 1991, releasing the sole 1993 "The Winterlong..." album before disbanding. None of the tracks from the "Consumed by Darkness" demo ended up on "The Winterlong...".
Macabre End formed in 1989 in rural Swedish town of Vålberg (the number of inhabitants are around 2.500-3.000) and as Vålberg is a long way from both Stockholm and Gothenburg, Macabre End don´t have that many similarities to the contemporary artists on the two major Swedish scenes. There is a hardcore/grindcore element to the band´s sound, which they share with other contemporary Swedish artists, but they are generally more doomy and melancholic, and they have as much in common with early Paradise Lost as they have in common with artists like Entombed and Dismember. But if you listen to all three tracks on the 9:07 minutes long demo it is obvious that Macabre End hadn´t found their own style yet, and they were borrowing from various contemporary doom, death, and grindcore artists. The opening title track is arguably a death/doom metal track, while both "Ceased to Be" and "Spawn of Flesh" are closer in style to the hardcore/grindcore influenced death metal of the Stockholm scene.
Lead vocalist Per Boder has a strong voice and a commanding growling delivery, which is a great asset to the band´s sound, and Macabre End are overall a pretty well playing unit. Considering that this is a demo recording, the sound quality is pretty decent, and you´re able to hear all instruments and vocals in the mix. It gets slightly murky during the blast beat sections, but it´s nothing which disrupts the listening experience. This is an authentic, brutal, and if not exactly seminal then at least semi-important early Swedish death metal demo. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.