MACABRE (IL) — Behind the Wall of Sleep (review)

MACABRE (IL) — Behind the Wall of Sleep album cover EP · 1994 · Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
UMUR
"Behind the Wall of Sleep" is an EP release by US, Illinois based death metal/grindcore act Macabre. The EP was released through Nuclear Blast Records in July 1994. It bridges the gap between the band´s second and third full-length studio albums "Sinister Slaughter (1993)" and "Dahmer (2000)", and was probably released to capitalize on the success of the former.

Stylistically the three original tracks on the EP pretty much continues the serial killer/mass murderer themed death metal/grindcore style of "Sinister Slaughter (1993)" (including another song about Albert Fish, who seems to be one of the band´s favorite subject), while the title track is a Black Sabbath cover given the Macabre treatment. The latter isn´t that interesting, but the three original tracks are well written and quite entertaining. Macabre manage to deliver descriptions of real-life murders with a bizarre twist of humour, which makes you feel a bit uneasy about the fact that you´re enjoying the listening experience. It´s like being a kid again, being caught doing something you shouldn´t.

The EP is well produced, featuring a raw yet detailed sound production, which suits the music perfectly. The musicianship is as always strong, and this time around the band even try out a couple of new rhythms (the best example of that is the rhythm patterns on "Freeze Dried Man"), but the band´s signature mix of death metal, grindcore, thrash, and the occasional child melody with both high pitched screaming vocals, and deeper juicy growls is largely intact.

4 tracks and a full playing time of 11:56 minutes isn´t much for an EP and "Behind the Wall of Sleep" is almost over before you notice. The fact that the title track isn´t the most intriguing cover of the legendary track that I´ve heard isn´t exactly a positive in my book either, but the quality of the rest of the material thankfully pulls in the other direction, so a 3.5 star (70%) rating isn´t all wrong.
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