Convulse
World Without God (Reissue)
7.4
If you, like me, first heard Finland’s Convulse on their 1994 effort Reflections, the re-issue of their 1992 debut is going to come as a bit of a shock. If you are expecting the catchy, groovy upbeat death n roll that the band perfected and were revered for with Reflections, you had best brace yourself.
Back in 1992 Convulse was a pure old school death metal band, a band rooted in early, raw, Stockholm bands like Nihilist, Carnage, Grave, Nirvana 2002, Evocation, Gorement and country mates Disgrace. Evil, primal, rumbling, earthy and morbidly catchy, with a couple of B-movie spooky segments, World Without God is as far from Reflections as you can get as it blasts and growls with a sloppy, primeval and for those familiar with Reflections, unrecognizable fury.
There aren’t any real classics on this album that elevate it to the levels of their Stockholm peers, but it's on par with Relapse's recent Nirvana 2002 re-issue, and chock full of old school nastiness complete with deep organic growls and a re-mastered, analog sound that’s rough and ready by today’s standards, but there’s no triggered or vocal FX, just pure old school goodness. The likes of “Blasphemous Verses,” “False Religion,” “Infernal End” and “Powerstruggle of Belief” making for a stiflingly old school, if disposable listen.
Relapse was kind enough to tack on the band's 4 track, 1990, Resuscitation of Evilness demo, which is even more raw and gnarly, and two live tracks, Venom’s ''Countess Bathory'' and ''Incantation of Restoration',' further highlighting the label's excellent recent reissues.
