MACABRE END — Consumed By Darkness (review)

MACABRE END — Consumed By Darkness album cover EP · 1991 · Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
UMUR
"Consumed by Darkness" is an EP release by Swedish death metal act Macabre End. The EP was released through small independent French label Corpse Grinder Records in 1991. Macabre End existed from 1989-1991, before changing their name to God Macabre, and released the "Consumed by Darkness" demo in September 1990. The demo was however originally limited to only 100 cassette tape copies, but Corpse Grinder Records picked the material from the demo up, and released this 7" vinyl EP, featuring the same material which was featured on the demo. The vinyl EP was limited to 1.000 copies. It would be the only material released by Macabre End. After changing their name to God Mabacre, they released the sole 1993 "The Winterlong..." album before disbanding. None of the tracks from the "Consumed by Darkness" demo/EP ended up on "The Winterlong...".

Stylistically there is a hardcore/grindcore element to the band´s sound, which they share with other contemporary Swedish artists, but they are generally more doomy and melancholic, and they have as much in common with early Paradise Lost as they have in common with artists like Entombed and Dismember. If you listen to all three tracks on the 9:07 minutes long demo it is obvious that Macabre End hadn´t found their own sound yet, and they were strongly influenced by various contemporary doom, death, and grindcore artists. The opening title track is arguably a death/doom metal track, while both "Ceased to Be" and "Spawn of Flesh" are closer in style to the hardcore/grindcore influenced death metal of the Stockholm scene.

Lead vocalist Per Boder has a strong voice and a commanding growling delivery, which is a great asset to the band´s sound, and Macabre End are overall a pretty well playing unit. Considering that this is a reissue of a demo recording, the sound quality is pretty decent, and you´re able to hear all instruments and vocals in the mix. It gets slightly murky during the blast beat sections, but it´s nothing which disrupts the listening experience. This is an authentic, brutal, and if not exactly seminal then at least semi-important reissue of an early Swedish death metal demo. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.
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