Nirvana 2002
Recordings 89-91
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Ahhh, the sonic wonder that is old-school Swedish death metal. Remembering the good old days when the likes of Entombed (Nihilist), Dismember, Carnage and the crew were kickstarting a musical style that would not only define a genre, but remain in fond memory for decades to follow. Another band in the fold during those early days of death was Nirvana 2002, also spewing forth the guitar tone from Helvete (you know the one) and blasting out some of the best death metal this side of the "Left hand path". Indeed, the opening track on this, "Mourning", could easily sit on the lauded debut from Entombed and hold its own. In fact, it even kicks the ass of some of the tunes on "LHP" and, since that's probably my all-time favorite death metal record, it's really saying something. The songs here have all the elements of classic Swedish death metal: from the overall, face-ripping sound, to the masterful song construction that offers fast sections, pummelling mid-paced passages, and slow, haunting, melodic runs. Obviously, with this release being a collection of early recordings there's bound to be some variation in production between songs. The quality doesn't really begin to waver though until track seven ("Physical excursion / Truth and beauty"), which is understandable, given the songs from here on comprise the band's very first demos and rehearsal tapes. It's not an issue, however, as they give true insight into the workings of a fledgling genre, essentially serving as a window to the past and offering us the chance to really hear what was going on back in those formative years. On that note, the tracks from 1990's "Disembodied spirits" are presented here in two forms -- the original mix and a fresh 2009 mix. As could probably be expected, while the new mix offers a fuller, beefed out sound, the 1990 mix allows the true power of the original songs to shine through. As a whole, this is an exceptional and very welcome release indeed. An essential album for fans of the genre.
- John Norby
