As you might have guessed from the cover art and after examining the song titles, SCORCHED keep it old school. This Delaware five peace was formed in 2015 and they are making a name for themselves in the "new wave of old school death metal" scene, together with bands like GATECREEPER or HORRENDOUS. If I would have to compare them to the two aforementioned bands, their style is more similar to the former one - they sound definitely more like old school swe-death (ENTOMBED, DISMEMBER) or ASPHYX than "Human" era DEATH. On the other hand their songwriting style is a bit more light-footed than ASPHYX or ENTOMBED; one might draw a comparison to AUTOPSY, who, although not exactly a tech-death band, have a bit less straightforward approach. Although they don't stray away from the old-school formula, there is an element of unpredictability - at least more so than with your typical retro swe-death band. The way rhythms and riffs come at you just feels a bit unhinged and out of left field.

This release is not technically a full-length studio album: it is a compilation comprised of songs of two of their demos (the A-side are songs from "Hymns From the Cellar", B-side from their self titled first demo). There are only six proper songs, the remaining five tracks are atmospheric interludes, some of which are obviously inspired by old horror soundtracks. (I must say that I quite dig them, they definitely add to the album.) The songs on the A-side are full of murkiness and thrashing, but all the compositions have their own ebb and flow, there are cool off-kilter leads, and nice grooves and a doomy atmospheric passages that change things up. The songs on the B-side are on par with the A-side. They are heavy, pummeling with a bit of thrashy vibe and technical enough to keep things interesting. To me the song that stands out is "Fields of Famine". It starts with a groove that sounds like some groovy goregrind, but then the song shifts gears and a maelstrom of tremolo riffs and blast beats is unleashed. There are many standout moments like this throughout the album. SCORCHED just has what it takes to capture your heart and mind and drag you into their hellish musical dystopia.

I think SCORCHED are one of the more interesting US retro death bands that are worth checking out. This release, which is, as I've already mentioned above, a reissue of their demos, but it seems a good place to start, if you want to give these guys a listen. If you are already a fan and really want to hear those demos then you're probably don't need me to recommend this release to you. But SCORCHED has a full LP coming out this year, so you might want to save your money for that one, if you find what you're hearing on this release interesting.