Splits & Comp CD reviews - A

ABORTED/CHRIST DENIED (BEL/SPA) Split CD 2000 SOULREAPER. Excellent initiative from this Belgian label! ABORTED now got faster, better and more extreme here than on their fishy first CD, very reminder of early SUFFOCATION now with an awesome production that crushes and grinds the bones of all freaks with a professional brutal quality, these 3 tracks are truly heavy, obscure and just kill the weak! It is fucking recommended, BUY OR DIE! PO BOX 90, 8500 KORTRIJK BELGIUM. goremaggedon@hotmail.com CHRIST DENIED also got here three new tracks of Christophobic Death Metal (as they said) in the same vein as "Got What He Deserved" just the vocals have reached a lower and deeper, faster "buï-buï-buï" kind of growlings than I could expect! Includes a cover version of PYREXIA's "The Uncreation", all this with an awesome production, quite cool listening! Not to forget the excellent devilish cover artwork by Bruno Kan, it rules! BUY OR DIE! PO BOX 50562, 28080 MADRID SPAIN. christ.denied@repulserecords.com SOULREAPER Recs: PO BOX 90, 8500 KORTRIJK BELGIUM. soulreaper@angelfire.com
ALIENATION MENTAL/MALIGNANT TUMOUR (CZECH/CZECH) Split CD 99 KHAARANUS. ALIENATION MENTAL are now fuckin awesome & monstrous Brutal Grind, technical & Punishing!!! They now sound like a compromise between AGONY CONSCIENCE (for the industrial intros, riffings & vocals), old BRUTAL TRUTH (for the unrelenting heaviness & some raging screamings) & DAMNABLE (also for the vocals, the sound & some good leads). Excellent original drumming, they aren't linear and always come in with unpredictables twists & turns, I fuckin love that kind of thoughtful skilled Grind, it's not only Brutal, it is more!! Wow!! It also goes beyond speed limits and offers great moments of extremities that is rare to find in this style today! Covers of Fear Factory's "Big God/Raped Souls" & CARCASS' "Corporeal Jigsore Quandary" ends with class their part of the Split. This is undoubtedly deserving of a BUY OR DIE!! MALIGNANT TUMOUR on the other hand were very disappointing... They're too fuckin basic and give nothing new to an old impetigocarcassmorticianapalmdeath linear & repetitive tribal style that has been used & abused by so many clones, punk riffings with mid-tempo should be left for those who start learning their instruments in my opinion and the bullshit politically involved lyrics doesn't match with me. Just buy it for ALIENATION MENTAL, they shred! KHAARANUS Prods: HVIEZDOSLAVOVA 2, 716 00 OSTRAVA - RADVANICE CZECH REPUBLIC.
ANCESTRAL MALEDICTION/OPHIOLATRY (BRA/BRA) "ANCIENT CONTRADICTIONS/OPPOSITE MONARCHY" Split CD 2000 MILLENIUM. Their two Demos now united on one CD for an ultimate Brazilian Death Metal sensation! ANCESTRAL MALEDICTION makes me think of another band but I can't point exactly who! Certainly MOLESTED (RIP) and Polish masters DAMNATION, they sound a little similar to their old stuff. Their raw sound is quite great and the catchy tunes are made to make me not forget about them for a while! Raging, dark & malignant Death Metal with great feelings and Evil atmospheres from Hell! The musicianship is excellent, can't wait to hear more! BUY OR DIE!!! c/o EDUARDO CLARO, AV. AUDRA, 2373 B. DOS GUEDES, TREMEMBE - SP - 12120-000 BRASIL. c/o RONALDO WILLIAN, RUA 6, 135 B. DOS GUEDES, TREMEMBE - SP- 12120-000 BRASIL. OPHIOLATRY appeared more old-school rooted with riffs and solos that remember me KRISIUN sometimes but they're definitely different, they just seem to share the same musicianship which is excellent too! The raw sound also is great! I fucking hate all those clean productions now, a Demo was meant to sound like that: to disgust all trendies! Some interesting technical tunes here that recall the old days of SINISTER, so no needs to tell that this is another excellent catchy Split Death Metal CD with true extreme tunes performed at the speed of light! BUY OR DIE!!! c/o FABIO SPERANDIO, AV FORTUNATO MOREIRA 314, PINDAMONHANGABA - SP - 12400-000 BRASIL. The only thing that leaves me hungry is that it only has 4 tracks (two per band) for 15mn... Quite short but so good & cult, they could have released this as a 7" or adding some bonus would have been greatly appreciated like they did respectively on their Demo tapes... anyway, don't miss it! MILLENIUM Recs: CX. POSTAL 4182, 01061-970 SAO PAULO - SP - BRASIL.
ANIMA DAMNATA/THRONEUM (POL/POL) "Gods Of Abhorrence" Split CD 2002. ANIMA DAMNATA starts this unholy Split CD with total Death Metal malevolence, offering real brutality and chaos, war, deathstruction... Good apparition from the dark side! Sometimes being very predictables and too americanized but ok band anyway! As for THRONEUM, they start their side with a BEHERIT cover "The Gate Of Nanna" (also covered by Manticore, see CD reviews) which is something I encourage because too many bands are just doing covers of well-known bands these days, why not a cover of Asphyx or Immolation instead of Slayer for example? THRONEUM fuckin' rules because of their personal style ranging in the likes of SADISTIK EXEKUTION, MISERY & MARTIRE, original & Extreme Metal at the same time, that's truly more brutal than the trendy moshing american style for sure! I will encourage anyone to buy it for THRONEUM, they truly deserve to be more known now: BUY OR DIE!!! (Note that THRONEUM also performed a cover of DEICIDE's "Lunatic Of God's Creation" completely Extreme version!!)
ATHEIST/RAVAGE Split Demos CD MASTERCULT. Fuck damn it!! I always consider that the old Demos are the best Death Metal ever experienced in life, fuck trendy clean sound & triggered drums, this was so evil especially RAVAGE, pre-ATHEIST band, the CD includes "On We Slay" Demo 87, "Kill Or Be Killed" Demo 86 their two demos under that name and "Beyond" Demo 88, "Hell Hath No Fury" Demo 87 under the ATHEIST monicker… They ruled before experimenting too much non-metal elements. Most important is that the Demos survived and here's a second chance to put an ear onto them, Cult! Fans of old but kult Extreme fast stuffs like NUCLEAR DEATH, early MORBID ANGEL & BESTIAL WARLUST might be surprised to hear from where ATHEIST raised from… Pure Hell!!!!!! Nothing in common with their two last experimental albums! This has to be heard believe me, they evolved inverted according to my own taste, starting Extreme & dying soft… while I worship the opposite!