Extreme forms of metal had really begun to explode by 1992. Death metal was a fully-fledged beast, anchored by a number of landmark releases. The second wave of black metal was underway in Scandinavia, soon to become a distinct and oft-maligned subculture. And then, tucked away in the far northern reaches of the globe was neighboring Finland, where two bands with nearly identical names would release records which were nothing at all like the standard fare of the era. Demigod, along with their fellow countrymen Demilich, took a radically different approach to the genre. Rather than focusing on outright brutality and unrelenting aggression, Finland's famed death metal groups instead tried to focus on tonality and incorporate atmospheric elements into their music. The result was Demilich's bizarre (and only) album, Nespithe, and Demigod's seminal release - this album.
Slumber of Sullen Eyes. What a title... It's a far cry from the aforementioned standard fare of the day, which in 1992 was the likes of Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, and Deicide. Along comes this album, and instead of a title about death, hate, or demons, we get a title implying something about a somber dream. Instead of artwork depicting demonic symbols or corpses engaged in sodomy, we get a bizarre, trippy cover which seems to be about a man trapped in a nightmare. Most importantly, instead of relentless blast beats and frenetic tremolo leads, we get a death metal offering that is anchored in low, resonating tones and driven by simple, slow, and steady riffs.
The beginning moments of the album are deceptive. The short keyboard intro is not particularly compelling, and it is immediately followed by a section of relentless blast beats and frenetic tremolo leads. Fortunately, this is not indicative of what is to be found from there forward. Instead of continuing to chug and blast forward, the record settles into a comfortable groove and mostly stays there. As it turns out, in 1992 there was a lot of area to explore in that comfortable low groove. Demigod picked a handful of simple chord progressions and riffs, made several variations on those, and then neatly assembled them into forty-five minutes of oddly elegant death metal.
The recording quality is phenomenal for the period, and frankly is better than much of what we hear today. Unlike many death metal records, be it from all the way back then or from last week, the guitars are given ample room to breathe, the bass comes through clearly, and the drums never overwhelm the other instruments. At no point on this album does the music ever become an atonal mess. The pitch and tone of the guitars is always the focus. The drums are not a driving force here. Instead, the drums take a back seat and hold the record together along with the bass. The vocals are merely there as decoration, although they are indeed skillfully delivered. The steady, calculated guitar riffs are what makes the music move.
This record has an air of class about it that simply is not normally found in this realm of music. It's strange to say that a death metal LP is graceful or that it sounds like a collection of grim lullabies. Yet, perhaps for a lack of a better description, that's how I see Slumber of Sullen Eyes. Th
Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
