Debts of God

This four song EP was recorded a few months after the "Beyond the Immortalized Existence" demo, and a few months before the "Inside the Labyrinth of Depression" demo. Stylistically, it is closer to the former and shows little (if any) development in the Disgrace sound. This is another demonstration of Disgrace playing sludgy, grindcore-influenced death metal. The songs are mainly slow and bludgeoning but with some blasting sections and a sense of chaos.

"Debts of God" contains new versions of two songs from the previous demo ("Deprive My Innermost Soul" and "Offering") and two new songs ("Incinerate" and the title track). My main problem with this EP is how it compares to "Beyond the Immortalized Existence". The production is different here and I don't like it anywhere near as much. The demo had a fantastic balance of cavernous guitars and crisp drums. This has a more generic old school death metal 'fuzz'. It may sound nastier, but it also sounds brittle and the lead guitar has no cutting edge. Everything is condensed and it is difficult to distinguish what is going on (particularly when the band speeds up). This type of production might suit a simpler band like Xysma, Abhorrence or Rippikoulu, but it doesn't work for Disgrace.

The two new tracks are OK, "Incinerate" being the better of the two because it rides a slower, sludgier sound. "Offering" suffers in comparison to the demo version (the beginning of the song is a real mess here). That leaves "Deprive My Innermost Soul" as the obvious highlight. This was the catchiest and most recognisable song on the demo, as it is here. The main reason it works better than the other songs is because it is slow and grinding throughout. This version has a better chorus than the demo version, the vocalist giving more conviction when he bellows out the word "...SOUL!!!". Anthemic moments matter, even in the darkest death metal.

"Debts of God" is far from Disgrace's best but anyone addicted to the old school Finnish sound will enjoy it. People who like the slower, crustier sound of bands like Winter might find something in here too. As it happened, the band would leave these songs behind and evolve into something much more interesting when they recorded "Inside the Labyrinth of Depression".

Finland's Disgrace were an amazing band . Unfortunately they would change their style of music much to the disappointment of their original hardcore fan base . I am without question one of them . At the time bands were experimenting with new ways to be more disgustingly brutal and evil and these guys were one of the originators . The time was 1990 and "Carcass" fever was in the air . Every band that heard brutal music before "Carcass" was quite simply and unquestionably blown away by this new sound . Now this is not an early "Carcass" review but the mind set for what I am writing about needs to be discussed here . Pitch shifters on vocal tracks were frowned upon before, yes once again the band "Carcass" . After the release of the master works of their epics "Reek of Putrefaction" and "Symphonies of Sickness" the scene changed . Now while reading the bold statement above you might be thinking to yourself "Carcass" did not change anything in scene, or how can this idiot be writing a statement like that ! Well the truth is if you were heavily involved in the scene at the time (and I was) you would with out question know that "Carcass" did revolutionize a new sound and that I'm not just writing my opinion . (It's fact) . Anyways the previously mentioned band had an obvious impact on Finland's "Disgrace" . This is immediately apparent .

What we have here is a long forgotten master work of twisted macabre sounds smeared deliciously in your awaiting aural palate . This band vomits sickness . The guitar sound is almost indescribably putrid . Vile and disgusting tones easily submerse the listener in a warm oozing jelly . They are thick rich and disgustingly "meaty" sounding . A smack in the gonads for sure . Why can't a band recreate this sound anymore ? This is what death metal or gore grind (or any other label people want to over emphasize these days) was all about . A group of guys (or girls) just making the heaviest most brutal sounds they could uninfluenced by the endless genre labels of today .

The sound of the bass guitar and drums is a perfect compliment to the heaviness that is contained on this great e.p. . This is way over-the-top heavy and can almost not be described in words . This band was ferocious . Not scare-the-hell-out-of-grandma ferocious, but more like the equivalent of dropping an atomic-bomb-on-an-ant-hill ferocious . Never for a split second giving up the maniacal conviction ferocity and tenacity it would take to actually pull a record like this off .

Then there is the vocals . Pitch shifted to the boundaries of extreme they are once again vile disgusting little rotting beasts of their own . Bellowing beyond the deepest of deep . Maggot infested rotting pungent pieces of disturbing tasty tidbits spewed forth with absolute unforgiving, unrelenting, inconceivable hellish sound . They go back and forth between multiple voices of the "Jeff Walker" (Carcass) style of squealing highs to the low "Bill Steer" (Carcass) lowest of lows . This is why i started off with the description of the "Carcass-Worship-Era" of the scene . Not many bands could have attempted to try and pull this off (and succeed) when this band did . They succeeded with unmatched success to this very day . Well then there's early "Xysma"(Fin) also, but that's a review for another time .

Why oh why did this band sell out and become a pop-rock band ? In conclusion if you love unbelievably bottom heavy, groovy, blazing fast, gore soaked, old fashioned bury your family in a shallow grave, axe murderer metal than this is for you . Own this or be boiled in spoiled maggot stew !