Stains Absorb

Beyond the vitality of thrash metal, its alias for death metal-focused thrash is named "deathrash". Though Habeas Corpus is far from being the most popular thrash metal band nor being the most underground, its sound-alike of death-thrash bands like Massacre and early material and full-lengths of Death was applicated into those songs, thus mixing with groove metal to form an uncanny yet versatile range. Stains Absorb - here lays the dumpster of sick riffs, groovy drums, funky bass, and all beneath, not only the instruments are versatile, but the vocals, giving Anselmo-like vocals as an additional gift.

The influence of Pantera is unavoidable here; the intro and verses for "13th Knot" have the same atmosphere and similar songwriting for Pantera's third post-glam album, Far Beyond Driven, tuned one step down, groovy sections with some rapid/fast parts. This Pantera/Slayer-like composition applies to all the tracks, including the thrashy song Pathetic. A blistering stew of rabid riffs with an equilibrated yet loud mix makes the perfect demo. It's unusual for a demo of a semi-obscure band to have an album-like production and be sold as a tape with the band logo as cover art.

The sickest part of this EP, aside from the too-incredible production, is the tone; it applies to that magnificent jazz-like snare, which releases its force unbound in groove parts, or mid-tempo hi-hat drum riffs, like the last compass for the last track, Plate Glass Hate. What causes the guitar sound to be too modern and well-executed for an underground tape, besides the productions, is the amp settings. It seems that the setting is bass-boosted, treble at five, and cranked-up mid, and the majority of underground tapes stripped their mid to a more "old-school" sound. Which makes this demo different from now-not-anymore underground tapes like Carcass' Flesh Ripping Sonic Torment or Death's early demos, which were beyond raw, beyond thresholds, beyond pathological noise.