The sickening art of slaughtering, another abysmal journey into an intoxicating sensation of the six feet under, buried deep underground with a field of decomposing corpses, slowly eaten away as the days go by. It is like feeling an evening breeze on the porch right? Of course not, maybe an outing to the burial ground watching another grotesque service in action. Stuff of nightmares they say, like anyone is really that consumed with the dead. The pair of German Death Metallers, SLAUGHTERDAY, probably aren't tour average Death worshippers, but they surly put their mind to it while composing their debut album "Nightmare Vortex", smugly released by F.D.A. Rekotz, the natural housing for old school Death Metal crusaders. Similarly following the early 90's Death Metal scene of Western European despoliation including the Swedish defilement with the likes of ASPHYX, SINISTER, CELTIC FROST and ENTOMBED but also the gloominess of proto Doom etching the early 70's abnormality of BLACK SABBATH, this debut is the embracement of melancholy and despair with hard biting gruesomeness that only the old days could muster.

Just to keep your head straight, SLAUGHTERDAY, analogous to what could easily declared as countless of Death Metal bands out there today, are paying a sort of tribute to the old days, taking the course of Death Metal backwards in time, to its archetype blasphemous state, what is was actually meant to be in comparison to the modern brutality that extensively lowered the genre. This duo, Jens Finger & Bernd Reiners, didn't apply any signs of innovation, not that it was expected or needed from them. Frankly, the artwork, which looks pretty good, drew by an artist named Mark Cooper (also drew to RINGS OF SATURN, DARK DESIGN and GLORY HOLE among others), told the whole story even before I listened to the first chords. As the music began looming over my brain, I could sense the past dashing in full throttle before my eyes and bashing itself into my skull. No, it didn't hurt, but was decently pleasing. Basically, SLAUGHTERDAY's music induced various of throbbing melodies, indulging the profound mournful vibe of contorted Doom that hit the band at times, devastated with condemning riffery, flavored with old school cryptic demonic harmonies, under the veil of a rhythm section amongst stampede and slow tempo march. Cosmic Horror", even though sounding like a copycat of SODOM's "Agent Orange" but as if ASPHYX were playing it with low tuned guitars, "Morbid Shroud of Sickness" with slow to fast paced tremolo rhythm melodies and chunky looming riffs that eventually illuminating a classy passage of drenched saddening as a measure for the continue slaughter afterwards, "Cryptic Desolation" hails as the reflective finisher,  swarming with melodic plays and with what appeared like a chorus that was rather convincing. But what won me over was the harmonies and slow soloing on display, an asset to both this song and the band and its atmospheric nature of oblivion.

Eventually, I believe that malignant Death Metal music of old can be both crushing with riff based smacks and rhythm section dynamics, yet also with depthy melodies that leads the songs into an interesting outcome. SLAUGHTERDAY might not be on that of a stellar edge, but the paid a fine tribute on this debut album, early 90's Death Metal has never sounded better.