Want old school death metal? Here you go. A Compilation of all the demo and split tracks Greece’s Abyssus released prior to their fine 2015 full length debut Into the Abyss. 16 tracks, a bunch of covers and a whole lot of analog, musty, thrashy death metal goodness.

India’s Transcending Obscurity is turning into a solid little label with varied releases from old school Death metal (Affliction Gate, Fetid Zombie, The Dead), symphonic black metal  (Diabolus Arcanium), and even power metal (Rectified Spirit) and psychotic black doom metal (Drug Honkey). Bu the label’s bread and butter is old school death metal and this release of this Abyssus compilation is a shining example.

Sorta like Unspeakable Axe’s output, Abyssus is that primal late 80s early 90s death metal before it got things like good production and formed its own more brutal legacy. Think really early demo era Obituary, Sepultura, Possessed, Mantas etc. It’ts rooted in thrash with a crusty, musty background and isn’t polished whatsoever, especially as these tracks (especially the early ones) are demos and live tracks too.

The tracks go in reverse order, with newest tracks first, and sound better. First there are two tracks “Phobos” and a cover of The Exploited‘s “Chaos Is My Life” from a 2014 split with crust mongers Slaktgrav, and the material is suitably crusty and punky. Tracks 3-7 are from a 2013 EP called Summon the Dead, and on these tracks you get a super heavy Obituary/Celtic Frost vibe, especially in the vocals of Kostas Analytis, the band founder, just check out “Sacrifice” and “Remnants of War”. There’s even a cover of Sodom’s “Outbreak of Evil” for good measure.

Tracks 8-12 are from a live cassette split with Nocturnal Evil, so comes with the live sound quality level you’d expect. But of note is the raging cover of Asphyx’s “Deathhammer”.

Tracks 13-17 are from the band’s 2012 debut EP. March of the Kingdom of the Dead, where it’s clear Analytis was in a Bolt Thrower phase as apparent in “Servants to Hypocrisy”, “Left to Suffer” and “No Tolerance”. Two fitting bonus covers close out the extensive release in Death’s “Sacred Serenity” and Slayer’s “Postmortem”, both ample but crustier homages to the originals.

The band has released three more splits and a full length album since this material, and the band has fleshed out  and polished their Obituary, Asphyx and even Benediction and Unleashed influence even more on Into The Abyss, becoming one of the better pure old death metal bands Greece has to offer.

 

 

[Visit the band's website]

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