Grave Desecrator
Deathspells Rising

October 2012
Released: 2011, Despise the Sun
Rating: 2.0/5
Reviewer: Metal-Rules.com UK Team

Formed in 1998 Grave Desecrator are a Black/Death Metal group originating from Rio De Janiero, Brazil. This is a compilation album consisting of their original demo from 2001, several demo’s a few live tracks and a cover of Bathory’s “Sacrifice” to round things off.



So straight off the bat let me say if you’re expecting progression and something a little varied, this isn’t the album for you - clocking in at over an hour what you get for you hard earned cash is a collection of very straight forward blast beating tracks in a very Darkthrone/Marduk fashion.



It’s certainly lacking a little bit in the production department, a special mention to the track “War Consecrated” and it’s incredibly loud snare that over powers everything in the mix and it’s rather amusing attempts at King Diamond vocals.



Perhaps I’m being a little harsh here as after all - these are demos and not the finished product it seems a little unfair to criticize on production values alone, that being said after listening to the whole record I can’t seem to find anything that actually grabs my interest. From start to finish it seems to run through one unmemorable riff to another, lacking any real direction.



It almost seems to me like the best song on the record is the cover of Bathory’s “Sacrifice” as it’s the only thing that breaks up the monotony of blasts/out of time drums and actually introduces some interesting melody to the whole album.



As most of these tracks are available on Sign Of Doom (And in better recorded versions I might add) I would suggest buying that instead, unless of course you’re a real completion-ist!



Review By Paul James