By now, you’re more than familiar with the all too parroted narrative that one day in 1987, seemingly out of nowhere, Death released Scream Bloody Gore and boom: Death metal was born. Of course, this is only half true. Death weren’t the only band in ’87 signaling the advent of metal’s most brutal subgenre. In fact, many would argue they weren’t even the first death metal band to release a full length album, but this Top 10 isn’t an outlet to debate the death metal-ness of Possessed, Sepultura, Kreator, and other assorted acts who predated SBG. No, today we pay homage to the bands who the world would come to know via full lengths later on, as well as those deadly disciples who’d never ascend past the demo stage. Here are our Top 10 Death Metal Demos of 1987.
10. Nunslaughter – Ritual of Darkness
Kicking off our list at #10 are none other than the devil metal masters themselves, Nunslaughter. The band’s story actually begins two years earlier in 1985, when they initially formed under the moniker Death Sentence. That band’s sole demo, Death Is the Only Way, was a truly bestial slab of ripping thrash, blurring the lines between first wave black metal and what would become death metal with a collection of frenzied riffs akin to Bathory, Destruction, and Possessed. By the time the moniker change and Ritual of Darkness came around, Nunslaughter had gotten all the thrash out of their system, desecrating headbangers with a demo that epitomized the early death metal spirit. The throaty rasps had given way to demonic growls, the guitars were infinitely heavier, and the songs were hellish as could be. It’s no wonder cuts like “I Am Death” and “Hell’s Unholy Fire” remain staples of Nunslaughter’s catalog to this day.
9. Incubus (Louisiana) – Supernatural Death
If Nunslaughter used their brand of death metal to do the devil’s bidding, then Louisiana’s Incubus (not to be confused with another Incubus we’ll be touching on later) were dealing death in the name of the lord. Clearly inspired by the likes of Kreator, Possessed, Dark Angel, and Slayer, Incubus fused blistering speed and mosh-worthy riffs into four full fledged ragers on their debut demo, Supernatural Death. For a crop of bands obsessed with blasphemy and the occult, Incubus stood apart, tackling topics like death and sin from a Christian perspective. Mind you, at no point in this demo does Incubus come off as overly preachy, nor do they ever touch the saccharine “Yes, Jesus loves me” fare which dominated the white metal scene of the day (i.e. Stryper). No, over just a little under 15 minutes, Incubus instill the wrath of God into the soul of every headbanger who’d listen. Admittedly, Supernatural Death thrashes harder than the majority of the demos on this list, but there was no chance “Sadistic Sinner” would find its way on Headbangers Ball anytime soon!
8. Ripping Corpse – Death Warmed Over
Much like Incubus’s Supernatural Death, Ripping Corpse’s Death Warmed Over is another demo that’ll have today’s Decibel-reading, IPA-drinking crop splitting hairs, debating “Is it really death or is it just thrash?” I’ll be the first to admit their later work, specifically 1991’s Dreaming with the Dead, is far deadlier, but you have to be some sort of grade A moron to listen to Death Warmed Over and think it stands squarely in the same territory as Anthrax and Sacred Reich. Coming off like a zombified bastardization of the classic speed/thrash sound, Death Warmed Over is the spiritual successor to Dark Angel’s Darkness Descends that never was. The drums and guitars are constantly trying to outrace each other, in true youthful headbanger fashion, while the unmistakable vocals of Scott Ruth scream, spit, and snarl their way through our stereos like a mental patient let loose. Dare I brandish this demo “death/speed”? Perhaps.
7. Nocturnus – Nocturnus
Keyboards and synthesizers: The arch nemesis of any true metal outfit, strictly reserved for the wimp poser acts who pollute the pages of Kerrang!…or are they? With already two genre-defining bands under his bullet belt (Morbid Angel and Georgia’s Incubus), drummer/singer Mike Browning challenged this convention with the formation of his next venture, Nocturnus, and their eponymous 1987 demo. Although these keys only appear on the song “B.C.-A.D.”, they foreshadow the direction the band would follow and serve as the first instance of the instrument in a death metal recording. Sonic explorations aside, the songs themselves are far more progressive, melodic, and forward thinking than most would anticipate for a death metal release of the time, all the while maintaining the extremity and manpower one would expect.
6. Hellwitch – Mordirivial Disemanation
If memory serves correct, Hellwitch boast the honor of having the earliest released recorded output of this bunch, releasing their debut demo single, “Nosferatu”, in 1984. A couple years and personnel changes later saw the release of a more fleshed out demo in Transgressive Sentience (1986), before ’87’s Mordirivial Disemanation took the Floridian underground by storm. “Nosferatu” appears yet again, sounding worlds apart from the beefed up ’86 version, and a universe apart from the glorified bedroom rehearsal that was the ’84 version. On Mordirivial Dismenation, Hellwitch have officially cemented their signature proto-tech death sound, one that melds the intensity of Possessed with the oddball maneuvers of Voivod, all the while never sounding like a blatant ripoff of either act. This ethos is further expanded upon on the raging “Purveyor of Fear” and aptly titled “Psychotic Seizure”. Fast forward 40+ years later and Hellwitch are still rightfully raising tech death hell.
5. Incubus (Georgia) – Incubus
Following his unceremonious departure from Morbid Angel, drummer/singer Mike Browning ventured out on his own, forming the extremely short lived Incubus. The band formed in ’86, and by ’87, upon the release of their first and only demo, Browning jumped ship, forming that band we just spoke about at #7, Nocturnus. Unlike Louisiana’s Incubus, the Browning helmed Incubus were anything but God fearing men, instead expanding upon the dark and demonic themes established on the ’86 Morbid Angel demos. Incubus also serves as a musical continuation of said ’86 demos, rife with blasting drums, harrowing guitarwork, tremolo picking, and proto-death growls. This trio of terror only gave us three songs, yet here we are still talking about them nearly 40 years later. Talk about impact!
4. Morbid Angel – Thy Kingdom Come
Speaking of Morbid Angel, did you really think they were gonna go down without a fight? Hell no! Founding guitarist Trey Azagthoth said, “No Browning, no problem.”, soldiering onwards with the addition of new bassist/singer, David “Evil D” Vincent, who made his debut on the band’s ’87 demo, Thy Kingdom Come. From the moment the title track kicks in, it becomes evident this is the sound of a band with vengeance on their mind. Everything about the music, from the riffs and drumming to the vocals and production, is deadlier. Whereas their peers will still boast hints of thrash in their formulative recordings, there is virtually no thrash to be heard on Thy Kingdom Come. It was as if the ritual was right on the brink of realization, which it would come the ’88 addition of Pete “Commando” Sandoval on drums, but more on that later.
3. Sindrome – Into the Halls of Extermination
Sindrome: The first supergroup in death metal history? The band’s credentials would sure have us believe such. Upon their 1986 formation, singer Troy Dixler had fronted Devastation, bassist Shaun Glass had held down the low end in Terminal Death, and guitarist Chris Mittleburn had ripped it up for both Master and Death Strike. Talk about a shit ton of ground broken in a short amount of time. Together, these three youngsters, alongside drummer Tony Ochoa, dropped one of the greatest demos in metal history, Into the Halls of Extermination. Admittedly, Halls is a far thrashier than the output of bands that proceeded Sindrome, but again, this is anything but the sound of a band chasing a paycheck. The hyperviolent lyrics, razor-sharp writing, and pulverizing riffage make this a death/thrash monument to be worshipped for decades to come.
2. Poison – Into the Abyss
No, not THAT Poison; it’s the TRVE Poison! While Bret Michaels and company were trying to win over chicks and record label execs with sexually charged performances and Loggins and Messina covers, the Teutonic Poison were releasing a string of demos so ahead of their time that in hindsight, it was terrifying. It’s almost as if these young maniacs had a crystal ball and could see Norway circa ’94, because Into the Abyss is as crucial to the development of black metal as it is death metal. Heck, call it a blackened death metal release, if you please. Whatever you call it, just know these songs are indicative of that era when the lines were blurred and the only rule was, so long as it was fast and brutal, there were no rules. Speaking of the songs, every extreme metal act of the past 35 years should be forced to listen to Into the Abyss for a crash course in compelling songwriting.
- Necrovore – Divus De Mortuus
Imagine, if you will, a world in which Death weren’t viewed as the de facto death metal band. Let’s say the vast majority of headbangers did regard Possessed as the be all, end all in death metal. Now if you’re over the age of 55, I already know what you’re thinking: “I’ve always considered Possessed to be the definitive death metal band!” I know, and if you fall into this camp, this doesn’t apply to you. So let’s assume you’re part of the vast majority who claims, “No Chuck, no death metal.” OK. For the sake of this experiment, pretend that Possessed was the universal template for the genre entirely. If they were, then Necrovore would be the heirs to their infernal throne.
While Possessed were spending their last days shifting gears towards a more straightforward thrash sound, Necrovore picked up where Seven Churches left off. Their first and only demo, Divus de Mortuus, is the metallic manifestation of insanity at its absolute peak. The riffs are schizophrenic. The vocals are throat-shredding. The drumming is nonstop. The songs themselves contort in a way that, even today, are truly unsettling. Couple all of these elements with its lo-fi sound quality, and you’ve got a release that can be argued as an early prototype for war metal even.
No matter what you brand it, Divus is an absolutely revolutionary release that leaves us wondering what Necrovore could’ve accomplished had they stuck around long enough to make it to the full length stage. Could they have taken the madness even further? Or was this the epitome of lightning in a bottle? Considering the band faded into obscurity after a 1988 rerecording of said demo, we’ll have to just rely on the latter and be grateful for Divus De Mortuus: The greatest death metal demo of 1987!