Dark Mist - Behind a Black Curtain - 1995

Side A:
1.Blind Flock
2.Stones And Sticks

Side B:
1.Trapped In My Mind
2.Tortuous Contempt

Label: Lusitanian Prod.(L-OO1/95)

Recorded in March 1995 at Gar Studio.
Produced by Jorge Imperial.

Line up:
Pedro,
César,
Raquel,
Alexandre,
P.J.

This bands comes from the area of Lisbon. Some sort of Death/Thrash Metal with keys...
I guess the end result is ok but it´s not usual to use keyboards on this genre. Sometimes Gives you the feeling that you are listening to a Gothic Metal act.

"Stones And Sticks" got release also in the "High Radiation" compilation volumes by Independent Records.

Can be downloaded here.

Score/rating: 5,5

Downthroat - I've Got My Mother's Eyes - 1999

Side A:
1.Decomposed, Tortured and Devoured
2.Insane Cannibal Desire
3.Bloody Dream

Side B:
1.The Hunter
2.Blow Up To Pieces
3.Ulceral Abdominal Decomposure

Line up:
Hugo Silva as Dr. Gore - guitars, vocals
Paulo Serra as P.N. - drums
Ricardo Santos as Gastão - bass
Marco Paredes as Mosh - guitars
Ricardo Arsenio as Kurika - vocals

Recorded and mixed at Clic Studios, October 1998.
Produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Gonçalo and Downthroat.
Cover photo by Graham.
Design and layout by Hugo.
All music by Downthroat.

Brutal Death Metal/Grindcore from Anadia.
These guys manage a very enjoyable work here. Think early Carcass just as refence.
Gory lyrics , growling vocals, horror movies interludes and of course blastbeats and good riffing.
Just expect brutality from start to finish with some laughing parts when those interludes appear.

The band did manage to get other releases out, even a full-lenght but this will be their best effort to me.
You can download it at Portugal Underground.

Rating/score: 7

Deification - A New God Had Been Created - 1995

Side A:
1.A New God Had Been Created
2.Unholy Truth
3.Putrid Mind

Side B:
1.Eternal Dream
2.Suffer Land

Label: Lustful

Line up:
Vasco Reigota - vocals
Pedro Sopas - lead guitar
Paulo Porro - rythm guitar
Adão Jr. - bass
André Mega - drums

Death Metal from the Aveiro district, like Agonizing Terror.
And as A.T. also Deification don't fool around and gives the listener an assault of pure brutality and agression with their music.
Deep , strong growling vocals is what stands out the most.
Competent performance and good production makes this tape worthy in any collection.
The best track, the title of the demo, got CD exposure in the second of the 4 volumes of compilations done by the label Independent Records.

Can be downloaded here.

Score/rating: 6

Creedless Minds - The Awakening - 1994

Side A:
1.Into The Storm Of Dust
2.Decryed Reality

Side B:
1.Neo Survivor
2.Wounds Of War

Recorded at Rec'n Roll studios, October 1994.
Produced bt Luis Barros.

Line up:
Rui-vocals
Luis-guitar
Igor-guitar
Sergio-bass
Zé-drums

Another great demo from another not well know band in the Portuguese underground, from Porto. And like , Agnosia, lots of quality and good production.
But, unlike Agnosia (just because they were the last mentioned) , this time we have mainly a Death Metal band that occasiollnally blends some Thrash in their tunes.
Very agressive vocals and a very good track "Into The Storm Of Dust " that went to get a much wide deserved attention in the 2XCD Compilation "Hypermetal" in 1996 along more mainstream bands like Moonspell or Ramp.

Score/rating: 6.5

Cruel Hate - Dying In Fear -1992

Side A:
1.War With No Pain
2.Blindness
3.Atomic Calamity

Side B:
1.Times Of Despair
2.Living In Fear

Line up:
Carlos Bento - Vocals
Alberto Calé - Bass
Mario da Costa - Drums
Rui D'Oliveira - Guitar
Paulo Pacheco - Guitar

Straight forward Thrash Metal , no fooling around, direct and competent Thrash in your face.
Another band that i get to know with "The birth of a tragedy" compilation...
Like i said before, this is a very competent recording, well executed tunes, some really fast drumming and strong choruses. I just have a bit dificulty to assimilate the voclas when the guy tries to sing... he simply doesn´t have the ideal type of vocals for this, and that is too bad. If he'd growl like in many chorus , this would have a much better result.
Best track: War With No Pain

Positive points to the band picture:

Score/rating: 6

Agnosia - The first Gathering - 1994

Side A:
1.Intro (02.01)
2.Inside Voices (03.59)
3.Muffled noises (03.18)

Side B:
1.Fortitude (Instrumental) (03.27)
2.Opposite directions (04.04)

Line up:
Teixeira , lead vocals and rythm guitar
Paulo , solo and rythm guitar
Miguel , bass guitar and backing vocals
Emn's , drums

Recorded in Rec'n Roll Studios on 5/10/94
Production and mixing by Luis Barros.

Anther band hailling from the north, Porto , more exactly, and as usual in those parts with good quality and better production.
Death Metal mixed with Thrash or the other way around? My opinion is this is a hard , powerfull, heavy Thrash tape. You get some growls and fast drumming ocasionally , but basically this is Thrash Band.
Favorite track , the first on side B, the Instrumental "Fortitude" and also, even better the opening "Intro". Nothing against the vocals, heard tons worse, simply my opinion.

Can be downloaded here.

Score/Rating: 5.5

Agonizing Terror - Disharmony in god's creation - 1995

Side A:
1.Intro
2.Enemies of Gods
3.Meditatio Cordis

Side B:
1.Obnoxious odium
2.Condemnated
3.Massacre

Label: Lustful Rec. (002)

Line up:
Vitor Bóia - bass
Sara - drums
Vilarinho - vocals
Tojó - guitars

Recorded in October 1995.

Straight in your face Death Metal from start to finish. A band with a lady drummer can be perceived as not so eficiente for the genre, but Sara does kick serious ass...
My favorite track is "Enemies of Gods" which would surface in a compilation CD by Independent Recs. A killer track indeed.

Just curious fact: The label printed on the tape this dialog :
"Devido aos pesados encargos fiscais que o estado nos impõe somos obrigados e temos o prazer de vos dar a liberdade de fazer o que quiserem com esta obra ilegal"
A straight critic to the amount of taxes and other shit that the Portuguese state forced underground artists/labels to do/pay in order to make a band/release legal...

Rating/score: 6

Afterdeath - Behind Life - 1992

Side A:
1.Intro (00.25)
2.Digital Horizons (03.38)
3.Afterdeath (03.47)
4.Heart of fire (05.06)
5.Fortune (03.56)

Side B:
Same tracks (all)

Sérgio Paulo- lead vocals
Nuno Maciel - all guitar
Ricardo Jorge - bass
Ricardo Rosales - drums

Produced, engineered and mixed by João Martins.
Recorded August '91 at Heaven Sound Studios in Almada.
Backing vocals by Nuno Maciel & Ricardo Jorge.
Adicional Vocals by Tracy E.

Another band that was introduced to me by this mythical Compilation by MTM , "The birth of a tragedy", back in 1992.
This is in fact the 1st proper release by this Death Metal band. And in my opinion still their best.
"Digital Horizons" is a different and faster version than the one i already knew from The MTM vynil compilation. The high point of this demo sinse i already enjoyed this track on that compilation. Dunno which one was recorded 1st though.
"Afterdeath" although a good track , relly remindes me of Celtic Frost's "Wine in My Hand (Third From the Sun) " from "Vanity/Nemesis" album. Sometimes i wounder if this isn't just a simple riff "copy/paste"... either way a good track.

"Heart of fire" , is a kinda mellow one, slow/mid paced track... nothing much, i guess the guys were emotional at that time...
The last track is a bit of happy, la,la,la tune. I really have mixed feelings about this and i still dont know if i like it or not. I guess it depends on the mood i am in. Sometimes i find it kinda silly, about that thrashy riff and cheesy chorus. But in other hand, i guess the guys were having fun and they manage to give this track a good ending.

Score/Rating: 6.5