Hell Hath No Mercy

Delve back into Atheist's past and you'll find some gritty, dark stuff. This tape is the band’s third demo, released after they had changed their name (from R.A.V.A.G.E.). The band still sounded comparatively primitive here, and Rand Burkey had not yet joined on lead guitar. This demo is probably best described as early American death metal with plenty of thrash influences. This is more extreme than the most extreme thrash bands (say, Kreator and Sadus), but it isn’t as heavy as what bands like Necrovore and Morbid Angel were doing in 1987.

All three songs will be familiar to anyone with a copy of the band's debut album. "Beyond" and "On They Slay" are absolute Atheist classics, among the thrashiest and nastiest songs the band ever recorded. The absence of Burkey’s soloing is clear. Kelly Shaefer was a fine rhythm guitarist but his soloing was relatively raw and unpolished. It sounds more like Slayer soloing, with lots of harsh squealing. Shaefer’s vocals still sound ungodly though. He mixes an evil-sounding rasp with an occasional growl. Roger Patterson's charismatic bass playing shines through occasionally, particularly during “On They Slay”. This is one of the band's best ever songs and this version is the second version they recorded. It isn’t as tight as the one on the debut album but it is still the undeniable highlight here.

The remaining song, "Hell Hath No Mercy", also appeared on the debut album. Most fans are likely to know it better as "Why Bother?". This early demo version is similar to the album version from a musical perspective, but it has different lyrics. From what I can tell, this early version keeps to a more typical death metal subject matter (with fire and brimstone imagery). The band had not yet delved into the political atheism that typified "Piece of Time". This song is the weakest of the three, and it isn’t as good as the “Why Bother?” version either. Still, it is an interesting insight into the band’s history, and into how their lyrical approach evolved between 1987 and 1988.

All the Atheist and R.A.V.A.G.E. demos are worth a listen. Each one presents the band at a different stage of their evolution. The viciousness and righteousness of this music is enough to power the sails, even with the roughshod production and dodgy soloing. As it transpired, Burkey would be the missing piece of the puzzle and he would enable them to take the next step, but all the riffing and song-craft was already in place before he joined. These early demos would influence other big-name death metal bands (e.g., Entombed), cementing Atheist as one of the most significant death metal bands of all time.