CD1 Tracks 01-06: Promo Tape 1990 (Demo 1990)
CD1 Tracks 07-08: Demo '93 (Demo 1993)
CD2 Tracks 01-07: Vampiric Rituals (Demo 1992)
For the first time the Complete collection of Necromantia demos, one of the most unique and mysterious black metal bands ever! Ecopack double CD with embossed logo and sigil
One of the most fascinating aspects of this demo, is that when it was recorded many of the bands contemporary to Necromantia and that would end up being more popular than them in the black metal scene, were far away from making the sound that Necromantia showed in their first release, classic bands like Darkthrone or Immortal were making death metal, and their greek compatriots Rotting Christ were making grindcore. I mention this to make us aware of how incredibly early this demo is if we are talking about the second wave of black metal, and what is surprising is how clear and defined was the kind of sound that such a young band wanted. There was no first contact here, the elements that would define Necromantia were already there from the very first moment, the original members, the 8 string bass, the atmosphere and much more.
If there was a word to define the essence of this demo it would be "ritualistic", but that would be a disservice to everything we find on this tape, as I said, on this very first demo are all the members of the first version of Necromantia and they all seem to have understood perfectly the essence of the sound they profess, on one side we already have Baron Blood absolutely unleashed with his 8 string bass giving it a completely different feeling and sound than any other band, The Magus has that heartbreaking vocal presence both on shrieks and spoken word fragments, it has always been very noticeable with them showing great charisma, even Slow Death's work on backing vocals has always been determinant for early Necromantia's sound to always stand out in terms of being especially lugubrious and menacing.
Most of the songs tend to be slow, with a lot of emphasis on the power of the double bass and different segments that look for a more atmospheric aspect, either through the use of whispers, keyboards influenced by classic horror movies or outside sounds that reinforce the theme, like the howling in "Lycanthropia". We can even get to appreciate quite aggressive and direct segments influenced by thrash and death metal, something rare in Necromantia's discography, but still they are able to give it their touch so that it blends perfectly with the rest of the aspects of the demo.
But without a doubt the most outstanding pieces are those that show the darkest side of the band, songs like "Evil Prayers" and "La Mort" that have a totally atmospheric component, they are paused, they don't look for a musical cohesion along the song, but it feels like a different proposal that creates a feeling of anguish, but it feels like a different proposal that creates a feeling of anguish, in many occasions it is even the percussion that carries all the weight, which is strange since the drums are programmed, but they sacrifice that naturalness in the sound in exchange for creating that feeling of uneasiness. The style is so dissonant that I even believe that many would not consider a song like "Evil Prayers" or "De Magia Veterum" as black metal, but thanks to the fact that this was made in a time and place where the rules about how black metal should be were not so severe that allowed Necromantia to make this unique sound.
If one listens carefully, one can hear fragments in several songs that would later be used in other songs of the debut album, which would be the culmination of this first period of the band to which they would never return, not even when they tryed to do it in a modern way in their last album. And what they would undoubtedly never do again, is a track like the monolithic "De Magia Veterum" a totally experimental 10 minute track that takes the concepts of the demo to the limit, it's a terrifying track, totally focused on atmosphere and making the listener feel uncomfortable. Many didn't even consider Necromantia black metal at this time (a salute to Varg Vikernes) but the truth is that many later bands owe their influence to this band, and this first step of theirs already marked a path that until today, has rarely been replicated in a correct way. The first step of true geniuses.
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