UMUR
"Drowned" is the third demo release by Swedish death metal act Nihilist. The demo was independently released in August 1989. It was originally released on cassette tape and sold no less than 3.000 copies. It was also released as a 7" single by Bloody Rude Defect Records. Nihilist formed in 1987 as Brainwarp, but soon changed their name and worked under the Nihilist monicker from 1987-1989, after which they shortly split-up and reformed the band (minus bassist Johnny Hedlund) now using the Entombed name (an American band had already taken the Nihilist name).
The two tracks featured on "Drowned" continues the journey towards the classic Entombed sound which was initiated on the early 1989 "Only Shreds Remain" demo. Unfortunately "Drowned" suffers from a less powerful sound production compared to the raw and brutal sounding "Only Shreds Remain" demo, but you get more clarity instead, so while "Drowned" may lack a bit in the brutality department, it´s audible what´s going on, and that counts for something too.
This would be the last demo released under the Nihilist monicker, as the remaining members of the band had become dissatisfied with bassist Johnny Hedlund, and as they didn´t have the courage to fire him, they simply split-up Nihilist (as mentioned above another band had also already taken the Nihilist name, so a name change would have been necessary anyway) and formed Entombed instead without Hedlund. "Drowned" is a good quality last statement from Nihilist, and as the case is with the "Only Shreds Remain" demo, it´s understandable why so many death metal fans hold these recordings in such high regard. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.
