Burning Death

The next topic of my review is about an old demo from a thrash metal project hailing from Santa Rosa, California, called Mutilated Souls. To those who have yet heard of Mutilated Souls, they were a thrash metal quartet formed in late 1985 who only had a short stint up until around mid-1986. During their short tenure, they had a brief but impactful existence, where they managed to capture the raw energy and spirit of the rapidly growing thrash metal scene back in those days. It was shown in their rehearsal materials that was recorded in ’86 but found its way to a record label more than three decades later. This mentioned recording is titled “Burning Death,” and the demo offers a glimpse into the underground sound of the mid-’80s extreme metal realm.

So, the rough cut has a total of 10 tracks (songs are repeated on side B), and all the materials here are untitled and were recorded without vocals. The cassette is a dubbed tape with printed labels on both sides and a photocopied foldout J-card that is housed in a slipcase with a 24-page booklet. Pennsylvania‘s Eternal Darkness Creations took the honor to unleash this under their banner back in 2017, which makes it the first official release of the album since they were recorded in ’86. Now, “Burning Death” serves as one of those classic offerings that’s like a demonstration of the untreated and stripped ruggedness that distinguished the thrash metal scene of the old days. The absence of the vocal area has placed a spotlight on the instrumental prowess of the band, allowing the listeners to fully plunge themselves in the guitar riffs, bass lines, and drumming that propelled each of the compositions. Another plus in here is the decision to leave the songs untitled, which provided a sense of mystery and invited fans to interpret the music without preconceived notions.

The production quality of the demo is emblematic of the era’s underground recordings. Its rehearsal-session nature sets forth an unconcealed and crude sound that oozes authenticity and a touch of speediness. This type of lo-fi aesthetic is often cherished by aficionados of the genre who indulged in the works of the extreme metal’s old guards, as it captured the unsophisticated spark and DIY ethos that were prevalent among emerging thrash bands of the time. The pick of its format presentation also reflected the dedication to preserving the genuineness of the original materials. Its dubbed tape, complete with the printed labels and a photocopied foldout J-card, brings good memories of the tape-trading culture that was instrumental in the dissemination of thrash (and heavy metal in general) music during the 1980s.

Another factor that complemented the primitive aural encounter of the offering is the inclusion of its 24-page booklet. The pamphlet rendered some additional context, insight, and classic morbid comic-like visual art for the fans to utterly experience a trip down memory lane. Now, while “Burning Death” may not have provided the vocal narratives found in releases dating back to thrash metal’s birth years (and of course even up to this day), it still provided a valuable snapshot of Mutilated Souls‘ bequest to the thrash movement. This offering will downright appeal to those who value the straight from the shoulder sound of thrash metal’s formative years. This is definitely worth the purchase and has monetary value to be added to your collection rack.