CD

Finnish death metallers Disgrace released a bunch of demos and one EP before their first full-length album, “Grey Misery,” which was released in 1992. The Finnish metal scene was flourishing with releases during those days—many of them are recognized as immortal classics among die-hard maniacs around the world: Slumber of Sullen Eyes, Member of Immortal Damnation, The Karelian Isthmus, Children of the Scorn, to name a few. And, of course, Grey Misery!

A bunch of classic albums, each with its own distinct sound and style, emerged during that time. Disgrace stepped up their game from their demo days, recording and mixing Grey Misery at Timo Tolkki’s TTT studio in May 1991. It was originally released on vinyl, CD, and tape by the Modern Primitive label in 1992. The band remembers that everything went smoothly during the recording process. It is evident that Disgrace practiced a lot and sharpened their songwriting skills without compromising the brutality in their delivery. Grey Misery takes the listener through nine tracks of organic, gloomy, groovy, and heavy-as-hell grinding death metal. Jukka Taskinen and Toni Stranius’ guttural double vocals still remind us of Bill Steer and Jeff Walker from Carcass. Some of the riffs also bear a resemblance, no doubt about that, but Disgrace managed to present their own blend of Finnish brutality with groove and almost prog-rock-like technical parts in some tracks. After Grey Misery, Disgrace decided that their days of death metal were over and transitioned to a brighter style with garage punk and rock’n’roll. That is a whole different story altogether.
 

High Roller Records, reissue 2024, extensive booklet, 2 sided poster

Mastered by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY
Cutting by SST Germany on Neumann machines for optimal quality on all levels... The ultimate reissue of this eternal classic!

Snake - vocals
Piggy (R.I.P. 2005) - guitars
Blacky - bass
Away - drums

The final part of the «Night»-trilogy. From the words of the band: Natt til ende is the last and final conclusion in the trilogy about the "night". This last chapter is my manifest of the final ending of christianity and death of "Jesus", in both physical and mental shape. Naturally this also lifts the idea and concept of forces christianity calls evil. The same forces I would call natural and human. They may be described as in a dream or in a more harsh speech.

In the wake of their previous work, Also sprach das Chaos, Blackdeath continue to push experimental boundaries in composition. In an era when musical distinctiveness is scarce, Blackdeath offers a rare listening experience shaped by over 25 years in the black metal scene.

Their journey began with Saturn Sector (1998), a raw debut rooted in the defiant tradition of black metal, yet unmistakably their own. Their latest release, Mortui incedere possunt ("Dead Can March"), showcases an expanded role for drummer Polar Maya as vocalist, along with an ambitious production by TT of Abigor. Now joined by second guitarist Der Nukleare Herjarnn, a longtime live collaborator, Blackdeath’s sound hints at Voivod and the radical strains of orthodox black metal, exploring mid-tempo, ice-laden grooves.

Merging familiar intensity with newfound uniqueness, Blackdeath may well have achieved their pinnacle. Thematically, they dissect reality through an anti-cosmic lens, revealing Chaos in all things.