Infernal Madness

If you like raw old school death metal then this demo might pique your interest. Manslaughter, from Poland, played an ancient style of death metal that was (presumably) inspired by Master, Celtic Frost, Autopsy and pre-album Massacre. There is a smidgen of death/doom in here too, and a guitarist who has studied Chuck Schuldiner carefully enough to be able to play a decent melodic solo. If you like the idea of all that stuff, then "Infernal Madness" is probably worth checking out.

The opener, "In Waiting for...", is little more than an extended intro with some vocals. This track is pure death/doom in the vein of (pre-album) Asphyx. It sounds great but it lacks substance because it never develops into a full-blown song (writing a heavy atmospheric intro is the easiest death metal trick in the book). The title track that follows is crushing. This is by far the best song on the demo. It begins with a monster of a riff that has an almost ‘rock’ feel. It reminds me of what Entombed and Furbowl began doing a year or two later with the death n' roll sound (this demo arrived in 1991). This riff drives the song forward with immense sludgy power, working particularly well against the vocalist’s menacing growl and the simple, punk-based drumming.

The other two songs are less impressive but they have their moments. The drummer sounds overstretched at times, but his Hellhammer-ish style usually works in the band's favour because the riffs are decent enough to provide (some) momentum of their own. There are no blasts or complex fills, which is fine, but he occasionally gets caught out when attempting something more subtle (like at the beginning of "Religious Slaves"). The impressive lead guitar playing is worth a mention, and the soloing is more melodic and meaningful than it is in most death metal bands. The bass doesn’t often appear above the sea of distortion, but it sounds particularly dirty when it does. The production is heavy and bassy, but within the realms of clarity.

Sure, this style of death metal sounds a bit outdated for 1991. Compare this demo to what other Polish bands like Dragon and Vader were doing at the same time, and Manslaughter sounds like they came from a simpler era. This demo sounds much rougher and cruder when compared to the speed and tightness of “Morbid Reich” or “Scream of Death”. All told, there were better and more interesting death metal bands in Poland at the time, but there is still something to be said for Manslaughter's simple and unpretentious approach. I quite like this one.