Azaghal first came to my attention with their Mustamaa 12". Its old school grimness made my heart freeze with joy. I searched for more from these Finnish warriors. Finding their 7" and 2 (of 3) demos through various distributors around the world, I was overjoyed and ordered them immediately. What I found was that their early stuff wasn't quite up to par, but hey .. it IS their EARLY stuff. Besides, their fantastic CD release, Nine Circles of Hell, returned my cardiovascular system to its frozen state.

The first tune on this demo is a re-recording (? re-release ? - sounds clearer anyway) of "Saatanan Valtakunta" from Noituuden.. - its more immediate Cradle of Filth vocal impressions leave a bad taste in the gullet. Luckily, the rest of the songs fluctuate in their sound. Some have a definite CoF vibe, others have a German thrash vibe (Destruction), and still others have a heavy Norwegian (Darkthrone) influence. An interesting enough listen to hear their roots. They also do an admirable cover Venom's "Countess Bathory" - faithful, but not too faithful (if you know what I mean).

© 2001 j. mcintyre