The first-ever official CD reissue of BETRAYER’s legendary demos—an essential document of early Polish death metal and a true classic of the underground.
Betrayer’s Necronomical Exmortis stands as a blistering testament to the transitional energy of early '90s Eastern European death metal. Released in 1992, this second demo captures the raw intensity of a band shedding its thrashier past in favor of a more uncompromising death metal identity. While the genre was already saturated with emerging giants by the early '90s, Betrayer carved out a space of their own with a sound that was as fierce as it was focused.
From the first seconds, it’s clear the band had sharpened its vision since their debut. The guitars are drenched in grime and menace, delivering tight, riff-heavy assaults that draw influence from both the American and European camps of death metal. Think the savage momentum of early Deicide mixed with the dark, chaotic fervor of Massacra or early Sinister. The riffs come hard and fast, often rooted in Slayer-esque tremolo picking but executed with a distinctly death metal ferocity. There’s no shortage of tempo changes either — fast blasts dominate, but occasional slow, crawling breakdowns inject a grim, cryptlike atmosphere.
The production, while unmistakably raw, is surprisingly powerful for a 1992 demo from Poland. There’s a balance here that allows every instrument to breathe — the drums are punchy, the guitars buzz with grit, and the bass, though not dominant, holds its place well in the mix. The vocals, a commanding death growl that leans more toward the intelligible side, give the songs a ritualistic, almost necromantic feel — appropriate, given the demo’s title and themes.
Highlights include “Unholy Confessions,” with its haunting mid-tempo drop, and “Empire of Doom Comes…”, which makes great use of dynamic pacing to build tension. But really, each track is built from the same sturdy foundation — rapid-fire riffs, sinister melodies, and the occasional, well-placed solo that never overstays its welcome.
While Betrayer didn’t reinvent the wheel, Necronomical Exmortis succeeds by doing the fundamentals incredibly well. It’s consistent, tightly performed, and shows a clear understanding of what made death metal so thrilling during its early surge. In hindsight, the demo feels like a missing piece in the broader Polish scene — less iconic than Vader but undeniably potent in its own right.
For fans of raw, early death metal that balances chaos and cohesion, Necronomical Exmortis remains a worthy artifact — not just a precursor to a short-lived career, but a genuine achievement in its own form.
