Official reissue of both legendary demo’s from the Swedish 80s black/thrash metal undergound legends MEFISTO.
1986: Next to mighty BATHORY, MERCILESS, OBSCURITY and later MORBID and NIHILIST, MEFISTO were one of the first bands, which proudly hold high the flag of extreme metal underground in Sweden. Although they never made it out of the underground, these two demos are a testament to how vibrant and active the scene was in the 80’s. A scene that would cause a sensation, especially in Sweden, just a short time later…
Remastered for this DSR reissue by Dan Swanö at Unisound, July 2023.
MC limited to 350 black tapes, 5 panel J-card.
In May 1986 it happened. Mefisto recorded the first of their two supreme demos. Since this is more or less impossible to find in original, look for the In May 1986 it happened. Mefisto recorded the first of their two supreme demos. Since this is more or less impossible to find in original, look for the more recent compilation The Truth. Why?
Because Mefisto succeeded, like no one else before them, at the same time or after. Megalomania is basically a mix of thrash vocals and early growls, super-intense riffing, constant change and some hellish sounds every now and then.
Megalomania, more so than The Puzzle, relies on speed and intensity. Then, after the exactly correct number of repetitions, they change something. And this might actually be anything; they can add strange, haunting shrieks or let the guitar scream out some atonal, hellish sounds.
Or why not change direction completely? The thrash influence is stronger on the Puzzle, here the riffs sound more speed metal - or more often at least. There is no holding back; they blend thrash riffs and British heavy metal in their dark and satanic sounds. Although this works very well, it might be the reason they were never signed.
In November 1986 it happened again. Mefisto recorded one more of their supreme demos. Since they are more or less impossible to find in original, look for the more recent compilation The Truth. Why?
Mefisto means quality, and a musical experience out of the ordinary. They were original and unique back then, and they still haven't been copied. They've been a big influence on the early Scandinavian extreme metal scene though - that is, the death and black scenes when they were still as one. L-G Petrov, then in Nihilist, later in Entombed, used to wear a washed-out Mefisto shirt at gigs.
The Puzzle, compared to Megalomania, is slower and heavier and in a sense more sophisticated. That's the real characteristic of the Puzzle. There is nothing that grows too long, no boring self-repeating. Instead the repetition does always add something, develop or advance something. When some part’s climax is about to be reached, something else, something unpredictable comes in, steadying the attention at the top level.
The dynamics of this demo are just fantastic, and the way everything works towards the same greater goal is also admirable. Megalomania had a lot of atonal, hellish, shrieky or just strange sounds that added to the music and made it more interesting. Now, six months later, Mefisto had really mastered these tones and noises and actually let them build music and melody.
The Puzzle is, in essence, probably the very best demo ever made. Get it.
Sample:
