Memento Mori

As a special celebration of the band's 35th anniversary, Memento Mori is thrilled to unleash a 2CD set that compiles all studio demos + rarities by this seminal Thrash/Death Metal band from The Netherlands, absolute precursors of the extreme side of Metal in their country. All songs were digitalized from the original sources and subtly mastered for an even more pleasurable listening experience. Also included as a very special treat for this compilation, two old songs re-recorded in early 2019 featuring former guitar player and original member Remco de Maaijer as guest musician. Cover art by Mörtuus. Tracks 1-1 and 1-2: old songs re-recorded in early 2019 (including a guest appearance by one original band member from 1984) Tracks 1-3 to 1-9: Speed Kills demo (1984) Tracks 1-10 to 1-17: Live at the Lede (1985) Tracks 2-1 to 2-4: Promo demo (1985) Tracks 2-5 to 2-8: Rebirth demo (1986) Tracks 2-9 to 2-11: The Day Before Tomorrow... demo (1987) Tracks 2-12 to 2-15: Omnicoitor demo (1989) Tracks 2-16 to 2-20: Pre-production Tape (1991)

The outstanding debut full-length from this up and coming German band. Formed back in early 2014 by seasoned devotees of the German underground (featuring past and present members of bands such as Beyond and Nocturnal), this three-headed beast spreads an aural plague in the form of primal, decayed, malevolent, venomous, eerie and crawling Death/Doom Metal with extremely rotten vocals that sound like desperate yells being vomited forth, and a gloomy atmosphere that reeks of mouldy crypts, nocturnal fears and god-forsaken places, very much influenced by ancient entities such as Goatlord, Delirium, Hellhammer, Necro Schizma, Winter, early Asphyx and Autopsy. Finished up with a solid mastering work (courtesy of Ted Tringo at The Ancient Way Mastering, U.S.A.) that enhances the morbidity of their sound, and the bleak artwork crafted by the German artist known as Misanthropic Art, "Perpetual Blackness" is an unquestionable tribute to all things uncanny and putrescent.

The terrific 4th full-length by this Italian band. Valgrind was born from the ashes of the ultra-underground act Necrospell in 1993, as a Death/Black Metal project with both extreme and melodic influences. Over the following years, the band released four demos and developed its own style, combining the main influences (Morbid Angel, Pestilence, Death, Nocturnus, Possessed, Monstrosity, Immolation) with a passion for the epically dark atmospheres of bands like Candlemass and early Paradise Lost. Disbanded in 2003, the strong will to return on stage of both founding member/main songwriter Massimiliano Elia and vocalist Daniele Lupidi (also frontman of Hateful) made Valgrind's return possible in 2008. With the addition of new motivated members, the band released their debut full-length, "Morning Will Come No More", in 2012. The album contained almost one hour of classic Death Metal filled with killer solos, memorable riffs and obscure vocals. Following the release, a series of shows were held in Italy, Germany, Holland, and Sweden. In 2016, the band delivered their sophomore full-length, "Speech of the Flame". The music strayed away from some of the early influences to become more personal, while the lyrical concept dealt with the darkest sides of the ancient Mediterranean civilizations. An EP called "Seal of Phobos" followed in 2017, and only one year later, Valgrind delivered their 3rd full-length, their most ambitious work to date. "Blackest Horizon" saw an increasing level of technicality in the guitar department, while retaining the old school vibe of the previous works. Vocals became less guttural and more aggressive, while a more organic production gave the listener a wider musical spectrum to dive into. Again, the public was introduced to the new songs in some memorable shows, including Helsinki Deathfest in 2018. Entering the studio again in mid 2019, Valgrind have now arguably delivered their masterwork: "Condemnation". Undeniably and 1000% Death Metal to the core, there's an intangible "something", a never-belabored uniqueness, that now sets these Italians apart from so much stock-standard Death Metal. For sure, their roots lay in the genre's old school still, but the bits and pieces they pull and recombine are unexpected but most definitely welcome; no particular scene or substyle or specific year is selected, just the focus on strong songwriting and impassioned performance. Likewise, the lyricism doesn't betray Death Metal's rigorous boundaries -here, it's the myths of legendary creatures and beasts in various ancient cultures- but Valgrind bring an artful touch to fantastical horror, all of it rolling out of bassist Lupidi's lugubrious throat with commanding clarity. To that, the power trio's clarity of execution is also a thing of (ugly) beauty, firing off one flowing, furious part after another with seamless construction and solos that are the absolute definition of class. In fact, calling "Condemnation" classy Death Metal would not be much of a stretch: the songwriting itself is that poignant and powerful, and the production -mixed by Cristiano Copat at KK Recording Studio, and mastered by Damian Herring at Subterranean Watchtower Studios- is perfectly matched, skillfully balancing that clarity with crush. Giving this special album an ever-more-distinctive touch is the cover art courtesy of Lupidi himself, hereby making "Condemnation" truly Valgrind's triumph of death!

The staggering debut full-length by this Australian band. Oozing out of Melbourne, Vile Apparition is a new project of Oliver Ballantyne (drums) and Jamie Colic (guitar, bass, vocals), both ex-members of the mighty Sewercide that left shortly after the recording of that band's debut album, "Immortalized in Suffering", in order to pursue other endeavors. Vile Apparition's self-released debut 4-song demo, "Atrocious Captivity", was picked up for a cassette release in early 2018 on Transylvanian Tapes, just in time for the band to fill their live lineup for their first run of shows starting January 2018. Alas, "Atrocious Captivity" was but a brief taste of the nastiness to come, now in the form of Vile Apparition's full-length debut, "Depravity Ordained". No lies in that title: this is fetid and filthy Death Metal that puts a premium on the bludgeon! Old school as it comes, of course, Vile Apparition's no-frills approach hearkens to the likes of Morpheus Descends, Ripping Corpse and Deteriorot, as well as the early works of Suffocation, Deeds of Flesh and Cryptopsy. An astounding exhibition of ridiculous, malignant heaviness that'll drill a hole in your skull and blow your brain cells to smithereens, the album also includes the preceding demo as bonus tracks. With suitably classic cover art courtesy of Chaostouched and mastering by Dan Lowndes at Resonance Sound Studio, Vile Apparition bring you blunt-force trauma with "Depravity Ordained"!

The long-awaited 2nd full-length by this Greek band. Spawned from the sick brain cells of several past and current members of other deadly Hellenic entities such as Ectoplasma and Resurgency back in 2013, Vultur have been exhibiting an unquenchable thirst for sanguine Death Metal fluids ever since, revealed in all its putrid and vicious glory both in their "Vulture's Beak" demo (2016) and their "Entangled in the Webs of Fear" debut full-length (2018). Theirs is a timeless ilk of bludgeoning Death Metal that's stuffed with assorted tempos that go from relentless eruptions of savagery, to torturous and doomed-out passages replete with morbid harmonies, and through mid-paced onslaughts of sheer heaviness, influenced by the likes of Morbid Angel, Gorguts, Monstrosity, Immolation, Brutality, Suffocation, Morpheus Descends and Incantation. Salaciously titled "Drowned in Gangrenous Blood", Vultur's sophomore strike sees them sticking to that crushing course, and indeed drowning the hapless listener in gangrenous blood! No compromise, no quarter, no progression: "Drowned in Gangrenous Blood" is 100% undiluted Death Metal spawned from the most righteous of eras, the very beginning of the 90's. Even down to its bassy, shit-thick production -courtesy of Haris Vougiantzis, of Embrace Of Thorns fame, who also handles the mixing & mastering here- Vultur's 2nd album reeks of totally thorough authenticity. Its songwriting is creepy, lurking and most definitely sick, spewed by diseased minds who live for this. And it's also further proof that Greece's Death Metal underground is criminally unsung, but soon shall devour unbelievers... And what better way to garnish utter sickness than the literally viscous cover art courtesy of Gargoylekelly? Vultur have wasted no time in eclipsing their cult debut album. Drink up!

The highly anticipated 2nd full-length by this Russian band. Hailing from Nizhny Novgorod and formed in February 2013, Wombripper have ever since leaned towards the Swedish school of Death Metal with raw, crunchy buzzsaw guitars and straightforward compositions. Highly influenced by Grave, Entombed and Dismember, their first demo, "Morbid Aberrations", was recorded and released in 2014, and the band shared the stage with some of the genre's milestones such as Necrophobic, Nominon and Fleshcrawl, and also newer underground acts such as Undergang, Nocturnal Witch, etc. After several lineup changes, the 4-track EP "Infected Tomb" was recorded and self-released by the band in 2017. That same year, Wombripper recorded their debut album, "From the Depths of Flesh", which was released in 2018 by different labels, such as Redefining Darkness Records (U.S.A.) and Grotesque Sounds (Russia). "From the Depths of Flesh" gained them lots of positive feedback from the media and old school Death Metal fans alike, as the album displayed some top-notch Swedeath, an aural massacre featuring plenty of catchy and morbid melodies, blazing solos and blasting devastation. Now scaled back to a 3-piece, Wombripper put the power in power-trio with their crushing second album, "Macabre Melodies". Ever aptly titled, "Macabre Melodies" is both macabre to the max as well as melodic -in a most macabre manner! Wombripper are nothing if not maniacs devoted to pure 90's Death Metal, and that vintage aspect rings proud and true here, adding to (but never subtracting from) the iron-clad foundation laid down by Dismember back then, keeping the guitars gutsfucking and incredibly tuneful, with hummable tunes you simply won't be able to get out of your head. But lest anyone linger under the assumption that "melodic" equates to some weakening aspect, fuck right off here: Wombripper are not named that for no reason, and "Macabre Melodies" encapsulates and then eclipses their no-less-righteous prior recordings, making for the band's apex to date and all without sacrificing an ounce of crush or credibility. Graced with stark and haunting cover art courtesy of MFA XII, "Macabre Melodies" is the sweet song you'll hear... before you die! Fans of classic Entombed, Fleshcrawl, Entrails, Nirvana 2002, Dismember, Grave, Demonical, Carnage and God Macabre: Wombripper is your favorite new old-style band!