Artist: Demigod
Label: Drowned Records
Release Date: 1992
Rating: 5 Skulls
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Title: Slumber of Sullen Eyes Artist: Demigod Label: Drowned Records Release Date: 1992 Rating: 5 Skulls |
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Slither's Review:
The nation of Finland is responsible for producing one of the most powerful trinities in all of Death Metal: Nespithe, Pure Blood Doom, and Slumber of Sullen Eyes. Beginning the process of songwriting and demo recording around the same time in the early 1990's as country mates Demilich, the nascent genius which would later disperse and evolve into a punishing death metal force called Adramelech began life writing under the banner of Demigod. Their one album legacy is the subject of this week's interpretation of classic recordings.The odd and somewhat unnecessary twenty-second lone synthesizer intro of "Apocryphal" proves to be the only stumbling block present on Slumber, and its distracting presence quickly forgotten as fury erupts with the arrival of "As I Behold I Despise." Riff work bearing a terrible sense of immediacy within its phrasing promptly draws comparisons to the early work of bands like Bulldozer and Morbid Angel, but the subtle and elevating differences between what came before and what the Finns in question created is readily apparent. The subtle shifts in percussive undercurrent serve to highlight the weight behind both the direct use of open chords and the frenzied pace of more common tremolo picked Death Metal fare. As the opening notes of bass guitar slowly explore themes which the band as a whole will revisit later in the song on "Fear Obscures from Within," the shifts of temperament and candor that follow illustrate perfectly the impressive target which Demigod manage to strike over and over.
A smothering heft present in each and every song on this disc comes from the compact nature of both the musician's goals and the songs they composed. A distinction somewhat lost over the last decade between technical prowess and good taste is forever entombed here. Music which enacts a mesmerizing effect upon the audience may occasionally derive from brash flourishes of instrumental mastery, but in truth a complex and absorbing listen begins with a solid framework. Slumber of Sullen Eyes exemplifies such a framework and the band's knack for internalized variation and counterpoint between instruments generates a roaring current allowing the music to be at once present and brutal but also ambient and passive depending on the listener's mood.
While summary promotional recordings and the release of 2002's Shadow Mechanics may have proved ultimately disappointing, the band's concluding evolutionary reversal is not such a tragic event. By removing themselves from the musical gene pool Demigod's latterday members sealed the vault containing a singular piece of rhythmic beauty. The privileged few who own original copies or paid through the nose on eBay are truly blessed, but if there is any truth to the internet rumor-mill then this classic album may be re-released by the label Xtreem Music later this year.
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