As you'll probably have guessed by now, The Badly Decomposed are not entirely a serious band; they're about having a good time, and singing about blood, guts, gore, and of course giblets. No they're not going to get famous playing this, but that's not the point. They're enjoying themselves big time, is that not what music should be about? I know of one venue which wouldn't even give this band a chance, and another which has recently showed reluctance to book them again. To these people I say: 'Why?'. The reason given from the first venue was something along the lines of 'they sound like they're having fun, I don't like that.'. I really hate that. I've seen them live, and I know they're a good laugh. Are bands in the 90s not allowed to have fun? It seems not...

The drums on this demo are quite impressive; not only do they sound almost like real drums, but they're extremely well written as well. There are various techniques used which could lead you to believe that a very talented drummer sat down and played it all. Most of the time you can hardly notice it's a machine.

The demo starts with samples cut together from Army Of Darkness, ending in Ash saying 'Groovy' as he tries out his new mechanical hand. Then 'Groovy Giblets' kicks in, a heavy as fuck and really cool start, with this heavy grinding intermingled with kind of cheesy lead work. The first solo shows the band have lead talent as well as rhythm as it kicks in with a very Blackstar / late Carcass sound before the song ends again heavy as fuck. Unfortunately this is a very short song, I think they should extend it a bit. Anyway, 'Dig It Up (then eat it)' follows, with a complerely different vibe as you might imagine. They've managed to get the vocals to sound really cool and syncopated and stuff, though unfortunately they are really badly produced (two mics into one track of a 4-track. I've tried it myself, and it doesn't work). That's what I'd say is the worst thing about the whole demo, the vocals sound dodgy all the way through. This is a really cool and original cover though, well worth a listen. The guitar work is really groovy too.

'Whip Crack Away' isn't as good, though a valiant effort at a very strange cover, at least they make the effort to do something a little different. 'Rotten To The Gore' remains fairly faithful to the original, and suffers from the same way-too-loud drums as the original (at times). Again the vocals let it down; I really wish these guys could get into a proper studio, I think they'd be able to record some really cool stuff. They certainly have the talent. They should get a drummer though, it looks better live! The remaining three tracks, 'Tastes Like Sick', 'Blood, Entrails, Brain Matter and Bits Of Skull' and 'Sometimes I Get Mistaken For A Pig's Left Testicle', despite having their highlights, ultimitely fail to live up to the promise of what has come before. One particular cool bit is the unexpected cut into the Sesame Street chorus on the second last track.

To promoters I say: give them a chance. To the band I say: get yourselves some money and get a decent recording!

This is a heavy as hell tape which bridges the gap between Machine Head and more hardcore bands, which have always had a similar image though mot the same sound. Also to help their credibility along (or lose it, depending on how you look at it) they've opted for trying to sound as American as possible. The vocals on  the next side sound quite like Phil Anselmo (Pantera) at times (complete with grunty-screamy bits), as does the more grindy guitar..

This next side of the tape sounds much more impressive, and is definitely much better mixed. Everything is clear and well defined, and because of this it is a lot more impressive. I'm not sure whether the content is actually any better, but it sounds much better. Judging by the inlay, all the tracks were recorded and mixed at the same time (October 97), a fact that quite frankly I find hard to believe. The middle part of 'World Of One' (yep, I just recognised some lyrics!) is really cool and fast and furious, but unfortunately either side it is really repetative, slow, and dull.

Basically thay've got a cool guitar sound, but dull riffs; sometimes cool vocal style, but completely ripped off (all the time), and cool drums most of the way through. Give them some more time (and money) and they could be really cool, they need a bit of an identity though; they'll get nowhere sounding like the rip-off they are at the moment. They have now actually been signed to 'Kuro Neko' records, and the legendary Andy Sneap will be producing their debut album!

Contact: wreck@polbox.com

Demo-ender 'An Imaginoid End', like the opener, suggests that Odium don't have the best grasp of English when it comes to writing lyrics. Still fairly average. Bit of a hit and miss demo, but if you want to hear what death metal from other parts of the world sounds like, it's worth checking out.

A band worth further investigation methinks.

'Habitual Hatred' serves to reinforce the point with a Mike Muir style, but I'm beginning to think the band lack something vital. As if you're waiting for something to happen... then it doesn't. Last track, 'Puncture', maked me realise what it is. All songs on the demo appear to be of roughly similar tempo and structure too. The Icemaiden also pointed this out as we listened at the Igloo, and even the Chilblain woke up screaming in his cot by the end of the demo. A shame really as I'd like to hear more of Suicide Culture, rather than judge them on this samey demo.