I Was Watching My Death

Poland already had throughout the 1980′s heavy metal and speed/thrash acts in the form of Turbo and Kat, though it was in the later part of the decade that the extremities of bands that had caught on in both America and Europe had found their way across the Iron Curtain. To the outsider, it’s of course common not to think beyond Vader and the quite mediocre Behemoth.

Alongside another Polish cult, Imperator, Magnus aren’t as widely known as their more popular countrymen, but still had a full length out before the prestigous ‘Morbid Reich’ in the form of ‘Scarlet Sorcerer’, released in 1989. On their second album, 1992′s ‘I Was Watching My Death’, Magnus unleash a death metal opus that is typically fitting towards the transitional exchange of the early 90′s.

Comparable with Massacra and countrymen Vader, but with a wider dynamic, their style is rooted in the very extremes of speed metal technique. Inflected greatly with Slayer-esque cadances (use of tritones, solos are often discordant, aggressive noise sculptures), song structures have a tendency to alternate through anthemic, galloping, mid-paced power chord streams a-la late 80′s Sodom to quick-fire tremolo strums that overscore uptempo snare/bass/hi-hat interchange, occasionally nuanced with blastbeat.

Vocals, like an extremely hoarse Tom.G. Warrior are quite similar to those of Piotr from Vader aesthetically, though Rob Bandit has a more guttural, syncopated and elongated use of delivery that blends itself into the palette to great effect.

Bass guitar, whilst lower in the mix is audible, whilst rythm guitar is clear and crisp. The drumkit is dominated by the distinct punchiness of the snare, which thankfully isn’t overly compressed, but manages to give a ‘precision’ that compliments the overall tone of the album.

Repeated listens to ‘I Was Watching My Death’ explicate the excellent songwriting and overall cohesion and focus on display, especially the songs ‘Opresor’ and ‘Hakenkreuz’. For those fond of the death/thrash style epitomized by Slayer (Reign In Blood), Sepultura (Beneath The Remains), Kreator (Pleasure To Kill), Massacra (Final Holocaust), Mortuary (Blackened Images), Merciless (The Awakening), Morbid Saint (Spectrum Of Death), Agressor (Neverending Destiny) and Vader (The Ultimate Incantation), to seek out this is mandatory.