inspired by the timeghoul thread.
What are your favorite demo only bands that have since vanished/disappeared/never released a full length/EP till way later? Bands that ended up releasing compilations way later also count i guess.

My personal favorite is Timeghoul itself. Amazing atmospheric death metal on both demos. I absolutely love the material on both demos. While the 2nd demo is more out there and different than the first the first demo is not lesser because of this. In the end both demos have incredible songwriting.

Sindrome is also a very interesting demo only thrash band. Nice and vicious thrash. Im hoping for a demo compilation one of these days.

And ofcourse another mighty beast is Pentagram from chile. Awesome death/thrash with awesome riffs. They are active again and hopefully will release a proper full length one of these days. I should check out criminal as well.

Anyway what are your favorites?

Have to agree with you for Timeghoul. I just purchased their discography compilation that Dark Descent put out; it's rarely left my cars CD player since its arrival.

Another (potentially obvious) one is Paysage d'Hiver. I love the project, though I can only listen to it when I'm in the right mood. When I'm in the right mood, though, they make perfect ambient black metal.

Speaking of Chile. Atomic Aggressor and Death Yell both had killer demos.

Maybe a bit too obvious, but, Ne Obliviscaris's Demo gets my vote, I really like the variery on their songs, and the way they progress, everything flows very well here.

Definitely Pagan Altar

Read the OP again.

There are quite a few that are good. Timeghoul I haven't heard yet - I ordered the discography but it's still on its way. Rippikoulu is probably my favourite at this point. It's memorable and has its own clearly defined identity, whereas most of the demo bands I've listened to are highly derivate (especially black metal).

Perdition from Tijuana, they only released two demos (1st '92 & 2nd '94). Awesome death metal with amazing soloing.
Asystole - Their "Earth Without Christ" demo is simply superb! Hightly recommend!
Suspiria (USA) - Both their demos are brutal and technical, very underated.

The op says "till way later", the demo is from 1982, it was officially released in 1996 I think, and their next album is from 2004. I think it should count. If not I'm sorry. Then my favorite would probably be nigro mantia.

They may technically be demos, but I treat them as full-lengths. Each one is a self-contained concept and runs the duration of a full-length.

While I think I may have to side with Timeghoul, Fatal Violence is awesome enough to warrant a mention. Painkiller-level intensity from back in the early-mid 80s? Hell yes.

Abhorrence if they count. Rippikoulu is really good stuff too. Timeghoul is p. lame.

Timeghoul, obviously but I think Abhoth is one for me that is absolutely awesome. They did release a 7" EP but they had a number of demos and the stuff was just brutal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21n7coED ... re=related

For me, probably Interment. Obviously they regrouped much later for a split and a full length (which from what I've sampled is pretty badass) but their old demos definitely still hold up.

Pretty much Timeghoul for me too.

Off the top of my head, I'm going to say Corpse Molestation. Sure they went on to Bestial Warlust, and then spawned acts like Deströyer 666, Cemetery Urn, Abominator, etc., but Corpse Molestation only released demos.

Also, the under-appreciated Sceptical Schizo from Finland. Bizarre Death Metal that was in a league of its own. They also released a couple of 7"s, but these tracks never had any widespread distribution; so you could still consider them demos, just pressed on a better format. I highly recommend their 'Into The Suction Of Blue' 7" for those who've never heard them.

Mare from norway is also worth mentionig http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYlHWGmkff4
I expect great things if they continue releasing material

They're great live, too.

Ormgård gets my vote. And the other Orm project, Wod.

mefisto for sure!!!!!
some of the greatest death metal/thrash/black
ever recorded on demos
totally brutal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X6BdZgK ... re=related

Millarca and Weird Light are two great doom metal bands that didn't get farther than demos and compilation appearances. Especially Millarca is masterful epic doom and needs a reissue but no one is able to find the former band members. Alas.

Another favorite is the pre-Griftegård band The Doomsday Cult. But that shit was reissued recently so I'm happy. Then there's Dwell Within. One brilliant demo and then gone. A couple of them are still active in another (similar) band called Memory Driven, so it's not a complete loss.

Solomon Kane, too. Maybe. They are still active though. Or are they? Will that full-length ever be released? Hard to say how good they really are based on one song. That song is great however.

Cynic comes to mind. I know Focus came out after their last demo, but it's almost like a different group musically. There's Bedemon too with Bobby from Pentagram. Sounds like Black Sabbath on downers.

Torture Division is awesome too. Lord K for the win.

Let me look into my crystal ball and see how this thread would have looked a few years ago...

ZOMG ULYSSES SIREN!! WHY DID THEY END UP UNKNOWN GOD DAMN THEY ROCK HARDER THAN ANY OF THE BIG FOUR JIZZ JIZZ JIZZ


Seriously though, my answer is probably Ulysses Siren because I still listen to their demo comp relatively regularly after several years, whereas most demo bands don't last very long with me it seems. Though I recently discovered Morbid Scream and like them quite a bit, I get the feeling they won't last forever for me.

Crematory, Swedish old school death metal. Check out the Netherworlds of the Mind demo and the Denial EP.

Necropsy, Finnish old school death metal. Check out the Go All the Way of Flesh demo and the Never to Be Forgotten EP.

I would have loved for either band to release a full-length when they were around in the early 90s because some of the demo material has bad sound quality. But the music is great.

Nirvana 2002 and Nihilist would be obvious choices here. I realize Nihilist is basically Entombed but I'll count 'em anyway.

Can I include Vàli too?

I'll give my vote to Aethyrvorous - a great Portal-esque, demented black/death band that released way too little material before splitting up. Timeghoul would be a runner-up.

All the bands I was about to post here apparently have come up with full-lengths since I last checked, with the exception of Dawn of Crucifixion. Also, Stench of Decay (they have an EP but I won't count that), Entrapment, uh I'll stop there because I'm going to end up listing any band thats released a demo I like.

yeah those two were the ones to spring to mind for me.

If we're restricting it to demo-only bands, I have to go with these guys, since I'm the only one that will and most of the other bands I could name have already been mentioned.

EDIT: I really should type links properly...

Enchanter (USPM) - the production is a little bit rough, but the songwriting is very developed and the songs can be quite epic (listen to "Thor" if you haven't heard it). They did release full-lengths after a name change and some lineup changes, and it wasn't the same with a different vocalist.

House of Usher - One of the releases is listed as an EP, but it saw no real distribution and it was basically demo tracks that saw a limited production run. Great band similar to early Gothenburg death metal of the 1990-93 era. I suppose their style reappeared a bit when Martin Larsson joined At The Gates.

You already said Timeghoul, so Necrotomy(Aus) I guess. Damn good band with pretty crappy production. Orectic Awakening is one of my favorite demos of metal. Frikh is also a good Greek band, but I'm not sure if they're demo only.

Somebody mentioned Aethyrvorous, which I'll second, and then I'll add Kingdom of the Lie, a great Polish death metal band I've bben pushing forth in all of the OSDM threads we have. They sound like Immolations Here in After, but rawer and like four years before. Only one demo I think, About the Rising Star, which is awesome.

Too many to name. Obvious legendary examples are Von, Nihilist, Timeghoul, Vlad Tepes, Morbid, Necrovore, Obscurity.

Hellhammer comes to mind, though I guess Apocalyptic Raids discounts them, even it it is an EP.

Abhorrence (Finland) is a good one.

Icefall's Ghostlands demo is really great epic doom in the vein of Solstice or and Candlemass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIZjD0H0IUw

Someone mentioned Aethyrvorous and I'll second/third/whatever them. I had no idea they had broken up though. What a shame

Do splits disqualify a band? If not, then Grave Upheaval is pretty awesome. I'm sure most of you already knew that though, haha. The demo is bloody good stuff, haven't heard the split though.

A less obvious one that I really like is Entrafis, a tech death band that released three demos in the early/mid 1990s. Into Out is all I currently have but it is a really good demo. Here's a sampler.

Aakon Keetreh. Raw, beautiful, and disturbing music. Have not heard anything emulate this twisted artist's winter meanderings and lust for loneliness. Although he may have had an official release with another band/project. LLN was very busy at the time

Necrovore.

They're a big influence on my writing with my band. They're a tremendous influence on my favorite band, and many other bands all over the world. And they're from my home town. What else is there to say?

I have to agree with Enchanter, their demo comp is really good USPM, a genre I'm not usually too fond of. The production is indeed iffy, but the vocalist has a lot of spirit to make up for it.

Paysage d'Hiver

This, and then some.
Torture Division are a fucking killing machine, but then again, ANYTHING with Kenth and Jorgen makes my heart warm....