Crucifixion: Complete Excess

Description

From the Ludwigshafen region emerged one of the first death thrash bands in the area, which became a breeding ground for musicians now active in successful groups, albeit in different styles. However, you don't need to be a fan of Crematory, Mystic Circle, or Bloodpour to like Excess (later: Malignity), or even find them fascinating, but their traditional roots are clearly evident. Excess was founded in the summer of 1988, and shortly after, the first line-up formed with Harald Heine (bass, vocals), Thorsten "Smog" Aschenbrenner (guitar), and Markus Jüllich (drums). They shared a rehearsal room reeking of stale beer with the local thrash band Sudden Darkness, whose material was also released on Golden Core via a double CD a few months ago. The guitarist of that band recorded Excess's first demo "Torment Of Death" with limited means, but at least already on multitrack, which sounds surprisingly good given the circumstances. Many black metal bands of the 90s would have loved to have this sound on their album. Of course, the technical skills of the three musicians were still very limited, but it is this "forced primitiveness" that makes these five tracks so authentic, yet brutal. This aesthetic cannot be planned or consciously created. The most famous and certainly most popular demo opens the CD: "Crucifixion" from 1992. Strengthened by vocalist Clausi (later active in the band Blood) and with a change on drums, they delivered a true quantum leap, without abandoning the simply preserved blend of death, thrash, and at times doom. The production by Guido Holzmann (Economist, Mystic Circle, Graveworm, etc.), whose studio was still under construction in 1992, remains an incredible yet transparent "Wall Of Sound" to this day, which remains unmatched. The name change to Malignity was followed by the final demo before three of the four musicians joined more well-known bands, with which they serve different scenes than those they started with as Excess/Malignity. Nevertheless, all those involved have agreed to this reissue and support the work on it. Thus, a gap in the history of German death thrash can now be filled.