UMUR
"Promo 93" is the third demo release by Finnish death metal act Paraxism. The demo was released as a promo tape in 1993 and was predominantly sent to labels to get a recording contract. Unfortunately for the band that didn´t happen, and they had to record yet another demo in 1995 titled "Selected Works - Promo 95", before being signed for the release of the 1996 EP ".xism Excursion" (their only label release).
"Promo 93" is quite the revelation in terms of development since the old school death metal style of the band´s 1992 demo tape. The band now incorporate death´n´roll parts, blasting deathgrind parts, melodic death metal parts, and continue their disregard for vers/chorus structures, making this promo a melting pot of the most popular death metal styles of the early 90s. The growling vocals have now taken on a slighly more melodic touch while still sounding brutal. Paraxism certainly do what they can to ensure that the poor reviewers have a hard time describing their music...
Featuring 7 tracks and a total playing time of 28:21 minutes, "Promo 93" is packed with material for the labels to listen to, and in that respect it does exactly what a successful demo/promo should do. "Polyphony" and "Futures..." stand out as some of the highlights of the release, but all tracks are worth a listen and the songwriting quality is overall high. The same can be said about the production values and the musicianship, so a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.