In the early days of the first half of the 80s, Thrash Metal was finally born, as a mix between Heavy Metal melodies and weight with the speed and energy of Hardcore. And on Germany, acts as SODOM, KREATOR and DESTRUCTION had a strong Black Metal and Death Metal influence due VENOM’s commercial success into underground on those days, and even from Hardcore/Punk Rock. Maybe this explains why German Thrash Metal sounds more aggressive and harsher that North American School of the genre. But obviously that other Thrash Metal acts came after, as TANKARD, ASSASSIN, DEATHROW, VIOLENT FORCE, HOLY MOSES, LIVING DEATH, and others. And for those that knows deeply German Thrash Metal, the name of NECRONOMICON isn’t new, but “The Demos” comes to fill a space that existed for too long.

As the name states clearly, “The Demos” is a recollection of the band’s early days, of their demos “Total Rejection” and “Blind Destruction” (both released back in 1985) and their two songs released on 1986’s “Break Out - German Metal Tracks No. 2” (a compilation with more for bands: RAVAGE, ADVICE, ARKHAM, and STAINED CLASS, and such format of release was extremely usual on the 80s), here presented on remastered versions (a work done by Patrick W. Engel). The idea was to bring the fans the same thing the Demos and the compilation showed, but with a better shape. The cover is a creation of the Brazilian artist Thomas Machado Pinheiro, who tried to get a feeling of those days in the past. And Steven Willems (editor of the fanzine Sleepless, writer for magazines as Rock Tribune and Voices from the Darkside, and author of the book “Streams of Ancient Wisdom” about the Dutch Death Metal scene) wrote the liner notes. It’s obvious that some people will keep saying ‘why-so-raw’, and one must explain (with more patience than this writer here has) to these ones that on the 80s, it was a matter of doing things as you could and try your luck, or to don’t do and find a regular job out of music.

What is heard: on the songs of “Total Rejection” (namely “Genocide”, “Total Rejection”, “Rebel”, “Woman”, “Danger”, and “Wehrt Euch”), as a trio, they depict a brutal and sharp arsenal of musical ideas, but clearly more into a Thrash Metal way with similarities with DESTRUCTION, and not into Death/Black Metal ways, and even some traces from traditional Heavy Metal and MOTÖRHEAD can be heard clearly (pay attention on the lead guitars on “Woman”). On “Blind Destruction” songs, (“Intro”, “Iron Charm”, “Possessed by Evil”, “Insanity”, “Blind Destruction” and “Bloody Revenge”), with the addiction of Jürgen to the guitars, the band is still brutal and nasty, but with a better shaped set of instrumental arrangements (as heard on “Possessed by Evil” and “Insanity”), as a depiction of a band trying to find its own way. And finally, on “Break Out…” songs, their inclination to a better worked form of musical expression becomes evident, with “Possessed by Evil” still following the tendency of the Demo it was previously shown, but on “Blind Revenge” things become better shaped, with a more melodic approach (that would mature more in the future), even with clean moments with normal tunes of the vocals.

For NECRONOMICON’s fans, this compilation will finally complete their collections (it was released on digital, LP and CD versions), and “The Demos” isn’t here to earn some more bucks…