An underground brutal death metal demo grail finally unearthed after twenty-five years rotting, 20 Buck Spin presents the Arthur Rizk-remastered Prelude To Obscurity, by Wisconsin’s EMBALM.
Hailing from the shadow of the Milwaukee Metal Fest, EMBALM formed in 1995 while in high school in the era of Ablated Records, Frozen Dawn CD compilations, and IllNoiz Death Fest, to name a few. EMBALM created truly memorable grooves of mid-paced, catchy, and brutal as hell Midwest death metal, also including the customary influence of Swedish death metal and even touches of Dissection-style harmony, setting this demo apart from any forced retro nostalgia.
Despite staying local, EMBALM was a part of a larger network and held their own supporting bands like Rotted, Internal Bleeding, and Incantation. While this collection focuses on the masterwork and tragic final demo, aptly titled Prelude To Obscurity, sicko freaks will be treated to the literally impossible to obtain first Demo ’95 as well, showing the most evil and grim basement necro recordings that, while primitive and cruel, still hold minimalistic memory of true underground demo cassette culture. Also included in a rare find are the two final live tracks that sadly never made it to the studio, written after Prelude To Obscurity, and shows the band’s insane dual vocal/multi-lingual genius for darkness, slam, and tortured leads.
Painstakingly remastered from original DAT and cassette tapes by Arthur Rizk (Kreator, Power Trip, Daeva), the collection includes a massive time capsule booklet of flyers, ephemera, zine reviews, and live photos from the bygone glory days of true brutal death metal; a guidepost for any new band looking for a glimpse of time tested “brutal stuff, and a must-hear for diehards of Fleshgrind, Deaden, Broken Hope, Dissection, Witch Vomit, and Torture Rack. This record also marks a first-time co-release between two modern underground titans, 20 Buck Spin and Hospital Productions.
Stream EMBALM’s resurrected and remastered Prelude To Obscurity now at YouTube HERE and Bandcamp HERE.
Prelude To Obscurity will be released on CD and LP on December 23rd. Find preorders at the 20 Buck Spin webshop HERE and Bandcamp HERE.
Prelude To Obscurity Track Listing:
1. Descend Into Extinction
2. Sanctified Massacre
3. Cry In Agony
4. Exquisite Tenderness
5. I (Demo ’95)
6. II (Demo ’95)
7. III (Demo ’95)
8. IV (Demo ’95)
9. Unreleased Live I, 3.28.98
10. Unreleased Live II, 3.28.98
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