Listening back to The Eye Of Horus and Cemeteral Gardens over two decades later, it’s fairly obvious why they stood apart from so many of their contemporaries. With a sound that owed a significant debt to traditional death metal while gleefully fucking with that formula at the same time, Decapitated were preternatural standard bearers for extreme metal’s liberated ethos. Not, of course, that they were aware of it at the time.

Officially released for the first time in two decades, Decapitated’s early demos have not been remixed, remastered or messed with in any way. Instead, this is a blistering, bona fide and warts ‘n’ all snapshot of four young men with fire in their bellies and a bright future ahead of them. Many years later, Vogg is still out there flying the flag, delivering ground-breaking brutality and honouring his fallen brother’s memory with grace and power. But this is where the legend began: raw, vital and crushing death metal, Decapitated-style.

TRACKLIST CD/ LP:

01. Intro (“The Eye Of Horus” Demo, 1998)
02. The Eye Of Horus (“The Eye Of Horus” Demo, 1998)
03. Blessed (“The Eye Of Horus” Demo, 1998)
04. The First Damned (“The Eye Of Horus” Demo, 1998)
05. Nine Steps (“The Eye Of Horus” Demo, 1998)
06. Danse Macabre (“The Eye Of Horus” Demo, 1998)
07. Mandatory Suicide (“The Eye Of Horus” Demo, 1998)

08. Intro (“Cemeteral Gardens” Demo, 1997)
09. Destiny (“Cemeteral Gardens” Demo, 1997)
10. Way To Salvation (“Cemeteral Gardens” Demo, 1997)
11. Ereshkigal (“Cemeteral Gardens” Demo, 1997)
12. Cemeteral Gardens (“Cemeteral Gardens” Demo, 1997)