Fans of 80s original death/thrash metal rejoice! The long-awaited album release of the demo tapes from legendary band SAMHAIN (later known as DESEXULT) is finally here. Its name is "The Courier". Despite never achieving a record deal in its prime, Danish act (from Aarhus) SAMHAIN gained a devoted following and became a household name in the underground Thrash and Death Metal scene. Now, for the first time, diehard metal fans can experience the raw power of SAMHAIN's early recordings on vinyl. Yes, you read it correctly, this will only be available on vinyl. It is therefore very ironic that I am reviewing this one whilst listening to a digital version of the album.

"The Courier" features all songs from the band's first two demo tapes, recorded in 1985 and 1986. Remastered for maximum audio quality by one of metal's finest: None other than ex-DESEXULT drummer and metal producer par excellence Tue Madsen at Antfarm, this is as trve as it gets. The sound actually is quite good, especially when you realise that this had to be achieved by using all demo tapes, and probably not the master tapes.

"The Courier" shows that SAMHAIN knew what they were doing when they wrote their music. Every song has a proper build-up and cool-down, with a very healthy heated piece in the middle. As I am listening to this, I am attempting to put myself back in the mid-eighties, and I can only wonder why this music never made that short journey from Denmark to the Netherlands. A lot of others did. With MERCYFUL FATE being the best example. I really would have liked to see them roam our stages, especially the ones in the youth centres of that day and age. They would have made a killing.

But alas, that was not to be. The only way to correct it is by doing what EMANZIPATION PRODUCTIONS has done. Go through the tapes with a true professional and see if they are salvageable. Thankfully, the two demos by SAMHAIN were worth the effort and I for one am very grateful that I have been chosen to review this. The mix of Thrash and Death Metal that rains down on you in 38 minutes is still as impressive now as it would have been in the mid-eighties. Or is this a case that they were too far ahead of their time? Maybe so, but I do know one thing; if you wish to acquire this superb slab of vinyl by SAMHAIN, you should go to the Bandcamp page or the site of the record company with great haste. I have a feeling "The Courier" will be sold out in no time.