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Beyond Hell

The Sleeper Awakens

Written by: GR on 06/03/2011 19:30:10

Last year saw the release of "The Sleeper Awakens", the debut full-length from American death metallers Beyond Hell, following a demo and EP after a number of years of existence. Made up of three brutal dudes, one of whom (drummer Elektrokutioner) seems to be involved in no less than 19 other bands according to Metal Archives, they have taken "True Horror, True Death" as their slogan and deliver an album befitting such a statement.

Sandwiched between an intro and outro, there are 7 tracks of old-school, unpolished death metal in the vein of genre masters Obituary, Autopsy, early Death etc. The doomy bludgeoning riffs and guttural vocals may be so-far so-typical, but guitarist (and bassist) Tony P does a decent job of keeping things interesting with melodic interludes and shredding - he's particularly fond of sweeps - that whilst sometimes feeling a touch unfinished, help give Beyond Hell a sound worthy of more attention than hundreds of generic death metal bands out there.

Beyond Hell may wear their influences on their sleeves a bit too much for some, but it's clear "The Sleeper Awakens" was made by people who are "True Death" and not ploughing the old-school for cheap thrills. Coupled with solid song-writing, this makes for a decent release for fans of the genre - albeit one that is unlikely to stay on your playlist for too long.

Luckily for fans of value for money, the "And Evil Crept Through" EP has been included in its four-song entirety as bonus content - much of the same of course, but a nice touch.

Download: Approaching Doom, The World Burns Forever, The Sleeper Awakens
For The Fans Of: Obituary, Autopsy, Death
Listen: Myspace

Release Date 03.07.2010
Dark Descent Records