Originally released on The Flood Records back in 2007, Deepsend has dug up this collection of Ulcerate’s first two demo CD’s and given fans a chance to hear the bands early material, before 2007s blisteringly impressive Of Fracture and Failure.
Consisting of 8 tracks, four from the band’s untitled 2003 demo and four from 2004’s titular demo, this release is a nifty little package of death metal that shows New Zealand’s Ulcerate in their formative, but still ferociously technical stages, and the promise that would explode on their debut. For a collection of demo tracks, The Coming of Genocide is still rather well produced and meticulously played arguably on par with much of today’s death metal and as with Of Fracture, is highlighted by drummer Jamie Merat’s performance.
The first four tracks, being The Coming of Genocide demo, are a little tighter and compact in their delivery with oodles of choppy, feverish time changes and blasting with a definite nod to the Canadian style of busy, technical death metal with hint of brutal USDM with “Scorn the Dethroned” and “Second Death” being standouts. As you’d expect, the 2003 demo material is a little rougher sounding, but no less complex and scathing as tracks like “Burnt Offering” and “Ulceration” show a band with fierce skills coming together with a talent level and song writing prowess surprising for a first time demo.
In one aspect though, the demo’s are better than Of Fracture and Failure, in that then vocalist James Wallace is far more convincing and powerful than Of Fractures more thrash and melodic death metal based Ben Read (who has since been replaced by Paul Kelland). Also, other than the track “The Coming Of Genocide”, this release is material not found on Of Fracture, so its not like your simply getting demo version of songs you’ve heard but 7 tracks you may not have heard.
This is a release that’s a surefire must have for fans of Ulcerate, but certainly a cheap little release that should interest fans of dirtier yet clinical and savage technical death metal also.
