Ecstasy in Pain

Back in the good old days, when the Death Metal scene was young and hungry for blood, a couple of Swedish musicians emerged from the dark spheres of Northern Europe. Some made it to the top (e.g. Entombed, Unleashed, Dismember or Grave to name just a few), others didn’t. One of the earliest bands hailing from Sweden is (or was) Chronic Decay. Their first offering “Ecstasy In Pain” was unleashed upon mankind sometime during 1990. Containing 3 songs with a total playing time of about 11 minutes, this EP is pretty furious and full of aggression. The band labelled themselves as Death Metal, but the typical omnipresent Thrash Metal influences are unmistakable. This includes the vocals which are a bit harsh. Every track is mainly fast and straight forward. Relying on extreme aggression and basic, but effective riffing, Chronic Decay recorded a real treasure, which was almost buried in oblivion. What a shame! Ok, the band didn’t reach the Champions League of Death Metal, but nevertheless this EP is a worthy ambassador of the early Scandinavian scene and shouldn’t be overlooked. Talking about an old underground release means you shouldn’t await a multi million Dollar production. This one is raw and filthy to the bone, but sounds way better than a crappy garage recording. It’s just the typical vinyl sound we all love and miss.
All things considered, “Ecstasy In Pain” is one of Chronic Decay’s very few releases, but it totally convinces with its contents and dedication. This is true underground stuff for collectors, fans and those who dare to check this short, but real aggressive release out.

Holy shit this is some unrelenting furious death metal. I would probably compare this to Sinister's Cross the Styx in terms of unrelenting aggression. It's a death metal album built like a light speed thrash album, and I love it. The fact that this band has a lack of material is greatly upsetting to me. I would have liked to at least seen one full-length album. Despite their lack of material, I have become a fan.

The songs are fairly straight forward and simple. The band relies on speed, ferocity, pure aggression and being quite catchy. The riffs are thrashy and and absolutely delicious. I said this album is built more like a light speed thrash album and the riffs resemble that statement. No tech/prog riffs to be found here, just hellish death/thrash of the highest order. Well performed vocals that are chalk full of aggression and hate really add to the album. The drumming mostly consist of blasting, catchy thrash beats and rumbling fast double bass work. It works very nice in the overall mix of things.

Everything on this album works towards one single goal, to melt your fucking face off. I believe this album achieves that goal, my face is proof of that. Seriously, listen to this fucking album, you will not regret it.