ASPHYX — Embrace the Death (review)

ASPHYX — Embrace the Death album cover Boxset / Compilation · 1996 · Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
UMUR
"Embrace the Death" is an archival album release by Dutch death metal act Asphyx. The album was released through Century Media Records in November 1996. It bridges the gab between Asphyx´s fourth- and fifth full-length studio albums "God Cries" (1996) and "On the Wings of Inferno" (2000). At the time of release Asphyx had just disbanded for a second time. As mentioned it´s an achival album release which was recorded in 1990 and which was originally meant to be have been Asphyx´s debut album released through C.M.F.T. Productions, but as the label went bankrupt, the album was shelved. Tracks 1 through 12 are from the shelved album recording sessions, while tracks 13 and 14 were recorded during a 1989 session and they already appeared on the December 1989 "Mutilating Process" single, and are therefore not exclusive to this release. Quite a few tracks from "Embrace the Death" are re-recorded and re-arranged material from the band´s preceding demos.

Only "The Sickened Dwell" would be re-recorded and included on Asphyx´s debut full-length studio album "The Rack" (April 1991), but the material on "Embrace the Death" features lead vocalist/bassist Theo Loomans and not Martin van Drunen.

Listening to "Embrace the Death" it´s such a shame that the album was shelved in 1990, because this album is the dream of any old school death metal fan from those days. As doom/death metal heavy as early Paradise Lost, as brutal and filthy as early Autopsy, and for a 1990 death metal release it´s very well produced. Loomans is a powerful, brutal, and savage sounding growler. He both has the deep growling style but also a higher pitched hysterical edge to this delivery. While not quite as unique and inhuman as his successor, Loomans is arguably a high class old school death metal vocalist.

Not all archival/shelved albums need to see the light of day, but Asphyx and Century Media Records arguably made a wise choice retrieving this album from the vaults, dusting it of, adding a couple of tracks from the excellent "Mutilating Process" single, and releasing it to the hungry Asphyx fans, who had just learned that Asphyx had disbanded a second time after their very short 1995-1996 reunion. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.
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