Okay, if you don't know about this record by now you're an idiot, but whatever. This is the long talked about reissue of the band's legendary full-length from 1993, recorded in less than five days for around $600, if you can believe it, and the CD also includes their fucking legendary 1990/1991 demo - all of which has been remixed and remastered, and sounds damn good if you ask me. This album has been released and re-released on various labels over the years, but this is by far the most professional in both sound quality and appearance, so I'm more than pleased to have it in my collection. This is a fucking Cleveland metalcore classic. Along with Integrity before them, Ringworm pretty much raised the bar for all of that shit with the material on this record (including their demo): The speed and quick song structures of hardcore, the picking patterns and darker/dissonant edge of metal, Human Furnace's inimitable resentful vocal screams, etc. Of course the sound is a bit raw, but it stands the test of time just fine, and this version seems a bit more beefed up and forceful to me. I hear a lot of shit that comes out these days that sounds worse than this by comparison, so I think that speaks well on behalf of this material's perseverance. The package is slick, as expected from Deathwish. The disc come in a huge gatefold digipack printed on thin matte cardboard. The front cover has the band logo over an image of Baphomet, with a woodcut image of serpents attacking people overlaid in light metallic silver ink, and a bold message of "There is no god." across the back cover. Inside are panels of similar woodcut images of demons and such, and a nice booklet with some band photos, liner notes about the album's recording, and brief notes regarding each of the tracks, which is actually a really interesting touch. There are some longer notes about the band's demo, which is another cool inclusion. And of course the lyrics are bitter and dark, I'm sure most already know this by now. "I'm sickened by society, Ashamed to call this planet home, Living in the witches season, Close your eyes, bow your head, Smell the air and feel the breeze, The cleansing of humanity is the chore, The instrument of destruction is the irony of holy war, Witness the end of the world, Necropolis." What else needs to be said about this fucking thing? If you don't have it, get it now. What the fuck have you been waiting for? Oh, and don't miss the unlisted live rendition of the mighty fuckin' "Deuce" by Kiss. Hot damn!
[Deathwish]
Running time - 33:52, Tracks: 15
[Notable tracks: Numb, The Promise, Likeness of Vanity, Consumed, Sideshow (demo), Deuce (live)]
Deathwish Inc. - http://www.deathwishinc.com
