UMUR
"Slow Death" is the first demo release by Norwegian death metal act Mortem. The demo was independently released on cassette tape in March 1989. Mortem formed in 1987 and they are a duo on this release consisting of Marius Vold (vocals) and Steinar Johnsen (guitars, bass). The latter would soon be a founding member of Arcturus. Hellhammer from Mayhem guests on drums. The demo was produced by another Mayhem member as Euronymous is credited as producer.
Despite the black metal musician involvement the material on "Slow Death" is predominantly fast-paced, aggressive, and brutal death metal (with the occasional heavy mid-paced part thrown in for variation). The sound production is among the murkiest, lo-fi death metal demo recordings I´ve come across, and it´s quite frankly a chaotic and unpleasant sounding release. When it´s possible to hear what´s going on, it´s obvious the band have some interesting songwriting ideas, but even the great ideas are often buried in the raw murky production. A 1 star (20%) rating is warranted.