Cranial Torment

On average, old school death metal ages well. It is an honest expression with zero commercial pretension, there are usually some interesting musical ideas, and maybe a thick production to cover any obvious flaws. Some old school death metal has aged badly though, with Funebre's "Cranial Torment" demo being a good example. This is raw and primitive stuff even for 1989. At the time, Finnish death metal was only getting started (being about a year behind the Swedes). The vibe of this demo is reminiscent of the cult death metal and grind acts of the time; early Autopsy, early Carcass, "Leprosy"-era Death. This demo is harsh, heavy and abrasive, but is so basic and poorly executed that it is hard to take seriously. I like crude, primitive death metal but this is beyond the pale.

There are five songs (and 25 minutes of music). This is way too long for a band with such little talent and experience. The whole demo might contain enough decent riffs for two songs, maximum. This is a chore to sit through. There is little by way of excitement or dynamics in these songs. Imagine an ogre plodding around in the dark with a sack over its head; this is the sonic equivalent. Some of it reminds me of Hellhammer and Sarcófago but nowhere near as good. There are a lot of de-tuned punk riffs, played sloppily and lethargically. The drumming is rubbish, just the same bap-bap-bapping throughout (sometimes sped up, sometimes slowed down), with no fills. The guitar solos sound like someone torturing a ferret. The vocals are deep and powerful but repetitive, with no variation in pitch (except for a scream in "Carbonized"). I can't imagine these guys had been playing their instruments for long before recording this. I hope not anyhow.

There is nothing on this demo that I can connect with on a musical level. Nothing here excites or interests me. There is no composition to speak of, merely a bunch of boring riffs smudged together. I know primitive death metal can sometimes sound exciting because of its bestial nature; it is such corporal music that it normally elicits some emotion by default. Not here. The slow parts trundle along without evoking any dread or fear. Yes, this is honest music played by kids who loved the genre. Yes, it deserves some credit for informing the thickened-up Finnish death metal 'sound'. No, it isn’t a good demo by any stretch of the imagination. I can't help thinking that this was outdated as soon as it was released.

Looking for highlights? Good luck. Some riffs might have been worth hearing if they appeared somewhere else. The slow, dark section in "Carbonized" is decent (if not as good as anything on "Severed Survival"). Two of the songs on this demo somehow ended up getting released again on the "Brainspoon" 7" a year later. I don't know why anyone would do such a thing. The band themselves had already accelerated past these songs by that point. They would soon make some drastic changes to their line-up which resulted in a far superior second demo. If nothing else, "Cranial Torment" shows that we shouldn't automatically treat old, cult death metal with reverence. The unfortunate thing is that this demo might distract people from the rest of the band's output. This demo is appended to some reissued versions of their debut album ("Children of the Scorn"), I wish they hadn't bothered.

Funebre, one of the very first death metal bands from Finland. I must admit that I’m not fond of the genres that come from that frozen land and the groups I listen the most are Impaled Nazarene and Azaghal. For me, this group was a quite big surprise because they play death metal and I believe it’s a non common thing in Finland. The most important bands in this genre came from Norway and Sweden but that was all to me; instead…

This demo, Cranial Torment, recorded in 1989 shows us a band that is really narrow minded in their style: pure gore death metal. The main influences can come from the U.S.A. and bands like Death, Obituary. There are also some more black metal passages, like in early Tiamat style and for this check out the riffage of “Necropolis Discomposure”. The up tempo are fast and brutal with some “almost blast beats” and the vocals are truly one of the most guttural I’ve ever heard.

The solos are the classic, sheer, tremolo pickings with no melody inside. Just violence. They remind me the one by early Sepultura. There are some more mid paced breaks during the songs and this time the attention has moved to the most doom/death side.
The production is quite good, despite being a low budget demo from late 80s and a death metal one. The band plays very compact and I think also quite precise with not too many flaws of wrong notes.

Usually the songs are quite long and, for example, a 6 minute song like “Brainspoon” is not boring because it alternates mid paced riffs ala Hellhammer to several up tempo in pure death metal style. They are always able to transport the putridity of the lyrics in music and for this check out also the dramatic/gore beginning to “Carbonized” with those screams.

All in all, I think that this demo will be pleased by many of you that listen to death metal. It’s also an occasion to discover a different group from a different country. If you like gore, if you like the lethal combination of up tempo and doom/death breaks that support hyper guttural vocals, take this demo.

For those that don't have this or have never heard it i feel for you.This is one of the most underrated demo's ever! Recorded when death metal was virtually unknown and only available if you wrote to the band. The over the top bottom heaviness of this is mind blowing. The vocals are straight out of a horror movie and while being self produced the sound quality is actually amazing.
I was fortunate enough to have purchased this in 1989 and have never stopped loving it. It never gets boring or redundant. Heavy is not the word for this band's demo. Cranial torment never ceases to amaze me after 19 long years of listening . If you can find it nowadays i strongly suggest getting your hands on this gem. How this band never really made it always amazes me. From the opening track
cranial torment to the last it is as brutal and heavy as anything possibly ever recorded from this time period. This is right up there with Winter's into darkness and Celtic frost's early stuff (and who doesn't love these god's). It is the perfect mix of doom death and speed that takes you straight to hell every time you listen to it! Like the title says essential!