UMUR
"Twisted Emptiness" is the first demo recording by Swedish death metal act Utumno. The demo was independently released on cassette tape in 1991. Utumno formed in 1990 under the Carnal Redemption monicker. "Twisted Emptiness" was initially released under that monicker, but after the band changed their name to Utumno, they opted to re-release "Twisted Emptiness" under their new monicker in 1991. So two different versions of the demo exist. The content is the same though.
Stylistically Utumno play a powerful old school death metal style featuring some pretty brutal growling vocals. The band are relatively well playing, and they skillfully change pace within the songs to keep things interesting and varied throughout. It´s almost too much at times and the almost funky tech drumming on "Inane Incantation" isn´t that suiting.
The sound quality isn´t the best, although the demo arguably features an authentic, gloomy, and raw sounding production job. Some details are lost in the mix though, and some of the instruments sound like they were recorded at at volume too high for comfort, which makes for an occassionally distorted soundscape. Upon conclusion "Twisted Emptiness" is worth a listen for fans of old school Swedish death metal. It´s not a seminal release in the genre, and it´s not the best release either, but there´s enough quality here to warrant a 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating.