Formed after Dutch death-metallers ASPHYX split up for the first time in 1996, SOULBURN unleashed their debut album "Feeding on Angels," just two years later. It was a strong first effort and one that saw the band make their mark in an ever-expanding scene. They called it a day the following year before reforming in 2013 and since then, they've blessed listeners with a further two full-lengths, 2014's "The Suffocating Darkness" and 2016's career best "Earthless Pagan Spirit," their obsession with VENOM and BATHORY being evident at all times.

This reissue of their first demo comprises just four tracks, all of which would go on to be included on their debut. Opener "Enter The Flames of Soulburn" gets things off to a wonderfully bleak start before seven-minute epic "Hellish Entrapment" provides a barrage of menacing slide guitar and ferocious blast-beats with sandpaper vocals reminiscent of early SLAYER. From this point the band move seamlessly into the punishing "Behold The Funeral Candle," a track that is as diabolical as it is ethereal, whilst outro "The Flames of Soulburn" wraps up the experience in a languid and desolate sixty seconds.

If you're already in possession of "Feeding on Angels" this may seem like an unnecessary purchase or one for collectors only, but it does provide a snapshot of the band in their infancy, finding their sound and then going for it hell for leather, the raw production making this all the more intense. For those unfamiliar with SOULBURN's output this a good place to start, a solid and convincing introduction to a band whose commitment to the genre has been typified over the years by brutality, creativity and integrity. A worthwhile slice of history.