Rating: 7.7

Country: USA

Release Date: 2005

Record Label: Necroharmonic

Track list:
1. Malevolence
2. Anguish
3. No Dream To Believe
4. Nailed To The Unknown
5. Guts For Dinner
6. Decomposure Beneath
7. Soul Burns
8. Molested Slaughter
9. Power Of Destruction
10. Living Death
11. Raped In The Grave
12. Blood Frenzy
13. Immortal Aggression
14. Eternal Torment
15. Guts For Dinner
16. Only Death Is Real
17. The Re-Animator

Fatal - Retrospective From Hell

Here's some hectic, slightly off-kilter death/thrash from Roy Fox's astute reissue institution, Necroharmonic, a somewhat different proposition from the lugubriously loathsome death metal that Necroharmonic have become renowned for of late. For some baffling reason, the tracks have been sequenced in reverse chronological order here- the 1990 demo is presented first, the 1988 effort last, so the listener is forced to digest the band's career backwards. No real biggie, though, considering that the diverse material on offer fluctuates in aesthetic approach and not quality here.

Many parallels can be drawn to like-minded kin like Possession, 'R.I.P' era Coroner, 'Beneath The Remains' Sepultura and 'Consuming Impulse' Pestilence here, Fatal plying a similarly disorienting, quirky brand of deathy thrash metal that strings an array of seemingly disparate ideas together to form a brawny, brainy whole. There is the same sense of herky-jerky, semi-progressive, precise riff-driven approach so prevalent on stuff like 'R.I.P', 'Coma Of Souls', 'Spiritual Healing' and 'Beneath The Remains', replete with lengthy, cleanly-played astral solos. A LOT of emphasis is placed on the syncopated, rhythmic quality of the riffing here, the rambling, meandering guitars navigating the listener through labyrinthine, continually shifting tempos and structures. Much like early Coroner, you DO have to pay attention here in order to truly unravel the subtleties of Fatal's craft, though of course this is a much less demanding listen than say, 'No More Color' or 'Mental Vortex'. There is a dizzying spectrum of tantalizing riffing on offer, and upon a casual listening you will find yourself headbanging furiously to a number of well-crafted breaks, but you WILL have to listen actively in order to link the apparently disjointed ideas together. Lose your progress halfway through the song, and you will undoubtedly feel somewhat confused by the proceedings.

While the 1989/1990 material is virtually interchangeable stylistically, the 'Molested Slaughter' demo from 1988 exhibits a more straightforward approach, Fatal endorsing the bulging, cadaverous template first pioneered by 'Scream Bloody Gore'. Production is far sludgier, the solos are discordant in King/Hannemann fashion, toning down the ethereal, exploratory melody of the later demos, structures are more direct, less textured. Additionally, the drumming is far less nuanced and imaginative than the latter material, Al Czarnecki's playing hinging exclusively on incessant 4/4 single-bass blasting. The entrancing chromatics of Fatal's later incarnation are absent here, replaced instead with morbid, carnivorous Floridian death metal that is VERY well executed (the homicidal riff that comes in 1:10 through 'Raped In The Grave' DEMANDS headbanging!), though much less innovative than the material that would follow. Strangely, their earliest demo 'Guts For Dinner' is a more engagingly thoughtful release, displaying an attention-deficient, intense flavor of idiosyncratic thrash that features some very strange drumming in parts (very bizarre use of the snare and ride cymbal sometimes, almost Mental Horror*-ish) as well as a host of very leftfield, twisting “what the fuck?!'' riffing not too far removed from early Destruction. Rather strange that Fatal would return to such an approach after indulging their yen for Floridian replication a year after 'Molested Slaughter'.

All in all, this is another top-class product from death metal's foremost historian, Roy Fox. It's a real shame that Fatal's name has never caught on in the same way as a Pestilence or Coroner, considering that some of the best material on here is absolutely on par with many of their more illustrious brethren. While the 'Molested Slaughter' material might seem tepid to some, somewhat dwarfed next to the more unique fare presented by the other three demos, I still assert that even that demo is well-conceived and executed with conviction. This is a must-buy for anyone who appreciates riffy, well-written death thrash from a glorious era in extreme metal, when thrash metal was approaching new technical horizons, before it degenerated into complete pseudo-fusion wankery.

August 11th, 2005