”Slumber Of Sullen Eyes” [CD ’92]
1. Apocryphal (intro)
2. As I Behold I Despise
3. Deadsoul
4. The Forlorn
5. Tears Of God
6. Slumber Of Sullen Eyes
7. Embrace The Darkness/
Blood Of The Perished
8. Fear Obscures From Within
9. Transmigration Beyond Eternities
10. Towards The Shrouded Infinity
11. Perpetual Ascent
12. Darkened
“Unholy Domain” [Demo ’91]
11. Perpetual Ascent (intro)
12. Anxiety
13. Reincarnation
14. Succumb To Dark
Comment:
Late 80’s and early 90’s were the golden years for the finnish Death/ Grind scene and many bands arose with different success, but there was one with a special feeling shining above the rest!! DEMIGOD was that band, and they simply started to play the music they loved: DEATH METAL. Soon their first demo ‘91 “Unholy Domain” became one of the most popular ones in the underground, just listen to it and you’ll know why!!
“Slumber Of Sullen Eyes” was recorded in 1992 and released in early ‘93 and shows one of the most perfect exponents of what Death Metal is all about. Not many bands have achieved such a perfect balance between brutality, melody, speed, heavyness, darkness, mysticism... and of course recorded at the best extreme Metal studios in Finland: Tico-Tico.
13 years after its inception, this masterpiece is back to life to show that a classic album is just timeless!!
A estas alturas me resulta extraño reseñar este CD. Reedición de la desaparecida durante un tiempo banda de culto de antaño, Demigod. Este CD, sacado en 1992 a través de Repulse Records (Anterior Drowned y posterior Xtreemmusic) es probablemente uno de los top 5 de casi cualquier metal head. Es una puñetera obra maestra del Death Metal, un CD que ha influenciado a muchas bandas y que aún hoy sigue siendo muy demandado, por encima de muchas bandas nuevas. El CD se grabó en Julio de 1992 en los Tico-Tico Studios de Kemi, Finlandia. Pues bien, para todos aquellos que no lo conozcan aún se trata de un CD con 16 pistas, las primeras doce del citado CD de 1992 y las otras cuatro de la Demo Unholy Domain de 1991. Es simplemente uno de los mejores CD de Death Metal de corte europeo que se han hecho, suena demoledor, brutal, oscuro, directo y sincero. Ha marcado un antes y un después y está considerado de culto. Lástima que los pasos que siguieron después se torcieran de esta línea original. Para esta reedición han cogido el impresionante diseño original y lo ha retocado ligeramente Turkka Rantanen. En definitiva, si presumes de ser un amante del metal extremo este CD es obligado, si tienes la edición de Repulse, simplemente tienes un puto tesoro y si no la tienes pues estás tardando en pillar esto. Al escucharlo entenderás mucho de lo que vino después en este estilo.
Demigod are a band I heard the name of quite a lot around the time of these recordings (91/93) but never actually heard, so a good chance to catch up.
Well, I guess whilst listening in 2006 it is hard for this not to be 'old school death metal', so, that review was easy!
Comparisons to early Incantation, Iniquity, old Carcass and Avulsed are made, and it was quite spooky listening to some parts of 'As I behold I despise' as I hear where the 'Stabwound Orgasm' CD found its influence. I love how authentic older style death has the thoroughly overpowering doom atmopshere and production, wich works better than even some of the doom bands of today. Here is one of those occasions.
The instrumental is the mostly aptly named song ever, 'Perpetual Descent', it is as simple as it gets, with the notes always walking downard throughout, but again because of the mood, it sounds so good. Songs wise this is absolutely top standard melodic yet heavy death metal. The demo tagged on at the end works pretty well more as a record of how Demigod started rather than being a brilliant listen. It is raw as hell and the guitar sound hurts my head, but it is tight and evil in its early intent. A quality re-release.
When talking about some of the best and most important Finnish Death Metal releases of all time, Demigod´s debut full-length record titled SLUMBER OF SULLEN EYES, released back in -92 already (on the Spanish Drowned Productions), rightfully earns its place in that particular league. The band´s dark-flavoured, crushingly heavy and absolutely unique Death Metal had something in it that appealed to many Death Metal -fans all over the world, and it wasn´t that big surprise that SLUMBER OF SULLEN EYES was hailed a true classic Death Metal album over the course of time. Those of you who have heard it before certainly know what I´m talking about. It´s not surprising to see Demigod´s SLUMBER on many death heads´ TOP 5 or 10 lists of all time; not to mention all those people who shamelessly consider it as the best Death Metal album released ever.
Since its edition was probably 10,000 units or less (nobody seems to know the exact amount of the copies?), it became harder and harder to get as the years passed by, an original copy of it now goes easily up to between $40-$60 in places like eBay - not to mention Gemm where prices go even ridiculously higher sometimes. But if you are a serious die-hard fan, those prices won´t scare you off up to the mountains.
However, it was just a matter of time before this jewel would be re-released - and that´s what Dave Rotten, one of the owners of the Spanish Xtreem Music (plus the vicious throat in his own Avulsed, too), did through his so-called Xtreem Cult Series. For this reissue Dave managed to include Demigod´s semi-legendary 3-song UNHOLY DOMAIN demo as bonus, with a mutual agreement of the Demidudes. So this makes the whole thing a bit more special and worth having for those Demigod -fans who never succeeded in obtaining a proper quality copy of it for themselves back in the day. The whole thing has been re-mastered as well that at least has helped their demo songs sound better. Surely it has done the same for the album´s material, but I didn´t pay that much attention to it. The thing is that it still surprises me every now and then they came up with this monstrously heavy and dark sounding Death Metal record almost 14 years ago and it has stood the test of time all the way up to this very millenium. It was Demigod´s growler Esa Lindén who was the soul, carrying force and a true innovator in the band back then; and without whom Demigod would probably neither ever existed nor this blood-curling Death Metal masterpiece would have ever recorded in the first place. Such furiously, but controlled storming numbers as "As I Behold I Despise", "Blood of the Perished", "Towards the Shrouded Infinity" and an epic and monumental sounding Death Metal tune "Slumber of Sullen Eyes", all were the results of Esa´s amazing song writing skills, so there´s no question about his extremely precious yet vital input for the Demigod´s unique, well-recognized sound. Without hesitating to spit it out, Esa Lindén was a musical genious as far as composing mind-sticking Death Metal songs were concerned. Those of you who disagree, I would say you haven´t even heard Demigod´s epic Death Metal masterpiece SLUMBER OF SULLEN EYES then.
As for ´decoration´ of this Death Metal cult release, I´m glad the guys have also decided to stay somewhat loyal to the original artwork which they had on the original ´92 -album version; only some slight improvements and changes have been done for both front - and back covers - and I must say I like this new version a bit better as it looks more professional and is overall more eye-catching.
To cut this all down short, if you haven´t ever heard Demigod, then here´s your golden chance for it. And if, for some strange reason you won´t pick this re-release of Demigod´s classic debut album up for yourself, then you don´t know what you are missing. SLUMBER OF SULLEN EYES is a very necessary piece of every self-respected Death Metal -fan´s collection.
History lesson, folks! Today’s topic: Finnish Death Metal from the early nineties. Who can name a few bands? FUNEBRE! – Excellent, Jarne, though you still have to work on the pronunciation, sounds like a gay cowboy to me. Another one? XYSMA! - Once again absolutely correct. But let’s hear it for the others as well. May I interrupt your fifth breakfast, Mr. Albrecht, and ask you? MORGOTH! - No, Mr. Albrecht, we were talking about Finnish bands, but I expected you to say that, since that’s everything you reply if anyone mentions the term Death Metal. Which is the main reason while you’re still sitting here, by the way. Anyway, onto Mr. Eck, who seems to find his ‘All-American Triple D-sluts’ rag far more interesting than our tiny little history lesson here. Can you name me some Finnish cult-acts? Ehm…ehm…Demi…, Demi… - Well Mr. Eck, although I have the slight suspicion that you’re still drooling about Mrs. Demi Moore stripping down in that stupid movie, there’s actually some strange truth to your answer since DEMILICH and DEMIGOD indeed were two important bands back then. Which brings us to the main topic of today’s lesson: the reissue of the classic “Slumber Of Sullen Eyes” album by DEMIGOD. What do you think are the main reasons that this is widely renounced as an absolute cult-item within the underground? Maybe due to the fact, that although being absolutely on par with the best Swedish acts around at the time, they never got the same attention as them. And their Death Metal was less melodic, but darker and grimmer. They avoided the typical ‘Sunlight sound, Seagrave cover’- clichés. Well, obviously most of you seem to have made their homework. But let’s not forget that this re-release by Spanish Xtreem Music also includes the tracks of the legendary “Unholy Domain” demotape. There are three songs on that, which didn’t make it to the album, among them ‘Reincarnation’, which was also covered by a German band – no, Mr. Albrecht, not MORGOTH but FLESHCRAWL some years ago. This demo has a much rawer and deeper sound which adds a lot to the morbid and eerie atmosphere of the music. So anyone who missed this classic in the past now finally has the opportunity to get it at a reasonable price. Ok, that’s it for now, next time we’ll be speaking about the early years of Indonesian Pagan Metal so be prepared!
¡Por fin!, meses hacía que esperaba esta reedición de uno de los clásicos del Death Metal finlandés de principios de los noventa. "Slumber Of Sullen Eyes" de DEMIGOD es probablemente, junto al "Left Hand Path" de ENTOMBED y el "Dark Recollections" de CARNAGE una de las piezas angulares del Death europeo. Una joya creada en 1992, que supuso el debut de DEMIGOD y también su fin hasta que volviera a grabar ya en nuestro siglo un nuevo disco, "Shadow Mechanics" que decepcionó a muchos por el cambio de estilo.
Ya venimos hablando desde estas páginas de las buenas reediciones que Dave Rotten saca a través de Xtreem Music, y si la de REVENANT era esperada, ésta no lo es menos. Sencillamente no debe faltar en tu discoteca si eres un buen aficionado al Death Metal añejo. Además la reedición se acompaña de la demo "Unholy Domain" que grabaran en 1991, con lo que su compra es casi obligada. El diseño ha variado un poco (los colores de la portada), pero la música sigue ahí, tal cual, con el mismo sonido oscuro y añejo que tantos y tantos grupos han imitado, aunque remasterizado por el propia Mika Haapasalo el año pasado. Sonido que solo se puede encontrar en las producciones de principios de los noventa, y aunque ahora se ha ganado en pulcritud, este espíritu no se volverá a tener.
Corría el año 1992 cuando esta banda de la tierra de los mil lagos firmaba con Drowned, un pequeño sello español, precedente de Repulse Records y ahora Xtreem Music. Salía al mercado "Slumber Of Sullen Eyes", un disco precedido del impacto de la no menos conocida demo "Unholy Domain", con un sonido más crudo pero que ya contenía entre sus temas con clásicos de la talla de "Reincarnation", mi tema favorito de dicha grabación. La influencia de sus vecinos suecos era aún evidente, pero ya se empezaba a notar ese aire oscuro posterior, y siempre con la voz única de Esa Linden, a la que tanto le debe el citado Dave Rotten en su forma de cantar.
El disco se forma por once temazos y una intro, que nos trasladarán a los infiernos en sentido literal. Desde la inicial "As I Behold I Despise", tema en donde se ve como AVULSED ha tenido en mente a DEMIGOD más de una vez, no podrás dejar de sentir un frío espasmo por la espalda en cada tema. No estamos ante un Death Metal de grandes velocidades (que también), predominan los medios tiempos, pesados, con riffs oscuros, y melodías heladas como "Tears Of God" o la propia "Slumber Of Sullen Eyes", pero ello no es óbice para que la rabia y agresividad se vea reflejada en cada nota. También hay espacio para composiciones llenas de groove, para mover la cabeza sin parar como "Dead Soul" o "Transmigration Beyond Eternities", o para temas llenos de cambios de estructura como "Fear Obscures From Within", pero en general lo que busca el disco no es tanto deslumbrar como si helar la sangre, llenar el aire de atmósferas opresivas, mórbidas... puro Death Metal y punto.
Pone el punto final "Darkened", tema corto, rápido y agresivo, que es un perfecto corolario a un disco perfecto, de esos que se convierten en clásicos en cuanto salen. Es increíble ver como en su momento el disco no llamó mucho la atención, pero el boca a boca funcionó, y una vez que Drowned había cerrado y se dejaron de imprimir copias de este "Slumber Of Sullen Eyes", se buscaban en el mercado de segunda mano, un reflejo de la máxima: "no apreciamos lo que tenemos hasta que lo perdemos".
Para todos los que buscabais este disco y no lo encontrabais por ningún lado, no sé a qué esperas. Para los que no conocíais a DEMIGOD, podrás adquirir una de las obras más importantes de la historia del Death Metal. Bienvenido a la oscuridad.
Peruvian Thrash/Death Metallers MAZE OF TERROR have just inked a deal with Xtreem Music for the release of their second album which is currently being written for a recording sometime in 2019. As an...
Russian Brutal Death act OSSUARY ANEX have just inked a deal with Xtreem Music for the immediate release of their new EP "Holy Blasphemition" that will see the light next 26th of September, as well as...
GRISLY is the new band coming out from the restless mind of swedish Deathmaster Rogga Johansson. The band has just recorded their debut album "The Spectral Wars" which caught the attention from Xtreem...
British Death Metal band RAVENS CREED have completed their 4th album entitled "Get Killed or Try Dying" which is going to be released through Xtreem Music next 2nd of August..
Spanish pathological Death/Grinders NASTY SURGEONS, have launched a video-clip as 2nd advance single for their upcoming sophomore release "Infectious Stench" that will see the light on 5th of July...
Spanish Death/Grinders NASTY SURGEONS have revealted cover artwork (again by Juanjo Castellano), tracklist and 1st single from their sophomore release "Infectious Stench" that will be released next...
Swedish Death Metal veterans RIBSPREADER, have just revaled cover artwork, tracklist and 1st single of their 7th album "The Van Murders - Part 2" to be released next 6th of June through Xtreem...
Finnish Death Metal band CARNIFEX, not the horrible trendy US Deathcore outfit, is going to see all their demo recordings from '91 to '93 officially re-issued on CD through Xtreem Music. under the...
Brazilian one-man Black/Thrash band GOAT WORSHIP, is ready to unleash their 2nd full length album "Shore of the Dead" next month of April through Xtreem Music.
Legendary Deathmetallers from Florida KILLING ADDICTION are about to see their classic debut album "Omega Factor" re-issued next 9th of March through Xtreem Music. It was also in March 9th, but from...
