Skelethal/Inisans (split) – 2012 demos
Ready thyself for rusty-machete Metal of Death! The discerning noses behind Caligari Records have sniffed out not one, but two bands of raw yet tight DM from the days when thrash and death metal had yet to sever the links that bound them together so well. First from the fetid tap spews forth Frenchmen Skelethal, pummeling with their brand of death metal that throws riffs at you with ferocity, but allows them to linger long enough to to fill your mind with the rotting ways of old. The production wears the grit of its late ’80s field of sound proudly, giving you Rick Rozz-style leads amongst blast beats, with just enough To Mega Therion in there to teeter them toward being death metal/time-traveling artists on the long-defunct Noise Records roster. And taking their early-Sepultura bark and triplet/hammer-on riff badassery to its event horizon, Skelethal covers ‘Show Me The Wrath’ off of the classic Morbid Visions, and with their thick guitar and distorted bass sounds, the payoff liquifies brain and bone alike.
Swedish split-mates Inisans also honor the past with relatively simple structures that feel like songs rather than expositions of nailgunned-together riff nerdery. The production owes much of its weight to the lower end of the graphic equalizer, but stays on the right side of being overly murky; in so doing, the reverb-laced vocal stays centered and clear, and the crisp edge to the guitars remains prominent. This is stripped-down, primitive death metal that goes down perfectly with cheap beer and a sedentary lifestyle. Meaning it’s perfect for me.
Both Skelethal and Inisans know – despite the youth of their respective bands – that there are certain aspects of extreme metal that cannot be improved upon. More importantly, they have taken these elements and regurgitated them back as two entertaining, neck-breaking demos of sincere worth. The future has arrived, and in this case, its (thankfully) the past. -Jim
Caligari Records
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