Archives of the Dead part XII: Abyssals - Demo 1994

Archives of the Dead part XII: Abyssals - Demo 1994

Line up: François Dauvergne (drums), Michel Dumas (guitars), Eric (vocals, bass)

Recorded and mixed by Didier Boyat and Abyssals in June 1994 at the AGLCR studio in Bourg-en-Bresse, France.

Here is a band, which I totally recommend and which is worth being exhumed from the old, perished coffin. And it’s a band, which before I honestly had not a great knowledge about, as they only did just this one and only demo recording, which was done back in 1994… and that was the first and only sign of existence of French Abyssals! A small research helped me to find out that the roots of Abyssals go back to the mid 80’s, when band Mutilator was formed / later known also as Mutilated. This group has released some more demos, before changing the name in 1993 for Abyssals. More so, I managed to contact the guy from all these bands, Michel Dumas. Nowadays he plays in new band, The Seven Gates. He told me that the whole Abyssals material contains riffs and bits from the Mutilated days, like for example the song “Evil Scriptures” was already written when the band was still called Mutilated. Anyway, I definitely must find out some more about the whole history, I also need to get a compilation LP of Mutilated titled “In Memoriam”, which was released in 2013! Why? I feel truly impressed by this Abyssals demo and would love to get to know more about this mysterious act. Yes! This demo is one of those amazing jewels from the old days, which are so unknown and almost forgotten, but which I’m crushed by and it doesn’t matter if the band is so unknown and anonymous or that they never were signed by a label and achieved anything spectacular. For me the music counts and in case of such bands as Abyssals and their 1994 demo, I can only speak in excitement for this music was KILLER!

When listening to Abyssals, everyone will have the right to think of one killer legendary band, which must have influenced those French maniacs in extreme way – Morbid Angel! Yes, and I obviously mean Morbid’s early recordings – demos and first two albums. Anyway, it doesn’t matter to me if Abyssals sounded so extremely unoriginal, almost copied some of the Morbid Angel’s characteristics. Damn, even the production of this demo is very alike. What matters to me is how awesome and killer this demo is, how awesome it sounds, how lethal it is. Aaarrrggghhhh! I just love those riffs, that dark, evil atmosphere, amazing drumming, killer riffs, sick solos and vicious vocals. It is “Altars of Madness” and “Abominations of Desolation” once again! For me such “Altars…” is the BEST death metal EVER, so if a small band like Abyssals managed to record a demo back in 1994, which is so infected by it and more so, quality wise it is so brilliant, I have nothing more to desire. Maybe if it only had more songs, as there are just three anthems of death! But such tracks as “Evil Scriptures” and “Scarified” are the essence of such evil, utterly devastating Morbid Angel-esque death metal. Let me write this again – Abyssals did excellent job here; these riffs are so powerful, great solos, vocals... Very well arranged and composed death metal! How come then something so superb has never been taken anywhere further, I mean why Abyssals has never released an album? Nowadays if we get a band which plays in this style of music – like one of my favourites, Coffin Texts – then we are all dying in excitement and they get killer reviews around. But it seems like maybe back in the mid 90’s no one was as impressed by it, strangely. Because really Abyssals was not just another mediocre band, in my opinion.

Yeah, Abyssals along with such Purulence, Arius and Beyond Fear belong to my greatest discoveries of the recent months, when speaking of the ancient demos of little known bands from the old days. So, totally recommended stuff! Listen to their awesome music! And I am in search for the Mutilated demo compilation now! Arrrghhhh!

Final rate: 90/100