Mastered from the original tapes by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in February 2024, the compilation includes a long interview with Klas Morberg conducted specifically for this release.
For the first time ever, Darkness Shall Rise Productions releases a compilation on LP, CD, 3-MC box, and digital format, gathering the three demos from melodic death metal pioneers DESULTORY.
Commonly cited and appreciated as one of the trailblazers of melodic death metal, Swedish band DESULTORY's roots are deeply buried in thrash metal. Wearing their influences on their sleeves, their first demo From Beyond features songs in the vein of KREATOR, TESTAMENT, and MERCILESS. Apart from Klas Morberg's eerie howlings, which bear resemblance to early TIAMAT, and the fact that the demo was recorded at the legendary Sunlight Studios in 1990, From Beyond is essentially a thrash metal demo—albeit a highly enjoyable and strikingly well-played one.
It was with Death Unfolds from 1991, the band's second demo, that DESULTORY truly came into their own in terms of style and sound. Again recorded by Tomas Skogsberg at his renowned Sunlight Studios, the demo showcases many of the band’s distinctive traits that would later earn them admiration. Bangers like "Passed Away" and "The Chill Within," both of which were re-recorded for DESULTORY's debut album, are top-tier Swedish death metal, featuring downtuned guitar riffs in abundance and a keen sensitivity to melody.
Simply titled Visions, their third demo, again recorded at Sunlight Studios in 1992, logically continues DESULTORY's trajectory. Building on the foundation laid out on Death Unfolds, some ingredients only hinted at earlier are extended and fine-tuned on tracks like "Forever Gone" and "Depression." Aided by the strongest production of their demos, which gives the songs an extra punch, this demo is victorious on all fronts—a must-listen for any fan of Swedish death metal of the highest order.
