Belphegor released this album in 1995 on Lethal Records and no one noticed. Those that wanted it later could not find it so Last Episode was gracious to re-release it in 1999 complete with six bonus tracks. Mercenary Musik is now re-releasing the original version, according to their web site, with all art work restored. They accompany the advertisement with the cover art depicting Christ and his disciples eating a bloody human last supper. That is indeed the centerfold from the original release, but what about the cover art of the sliced up baby, or the women with child on the cover sheet, or the bloodthirsty photos? What I got from Mercenary seems to be a re-release of the re-release, not of the original. Confused yet? I pulled out my Last Episode version and compared it to the new one. Identical, all the bonus tracks are there as well as the same artwork. The only difference is that the parental advisory explicit lyrics and explicit artwork stamps on the cover have been removed. I am curious, why re-release an exact copy of a disc still readily available?

The bonus tracks include three tracks from 1994’s 7 inch including a cover of “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” and three tracks newly recorded in 1998, including an “outbreak of Evil” cover and a track that later appeared on Necrodemon Terrorsathan called “Diabolical Possession.” The dominant vocal style is very low guttural grunts American death style with plenty of screamed vocals reminiscent of early Kreator. The music is very heavy and brutal guitars with aggressive drumming. As with most American style death, the songs tend to blend together, with memorable pieces here and there throughout the album, but without individual uniqueness for each song.

The album taken as a whole entity is strong, with memorable moments being “The Rapture of Cremation” and “Engulfed in Eternal Frost,” the former for its slow passages the later for its lightening fast backbone, both equally well written. My favorite song, “Kruzifixion” is a 1994 version of 1991’s demo’s title track and has an early Celtic Frost feel. It is also the song with the most black metal elements. So, what’s the verdict? It does not matter which version you get, just get one of them.

[Visit the band's website]

---

Comments