As Seen Through Tears

This is a remastered version of this 1997 album. I only have the digital promo, but as is customary with Vic Records, the CD contains extensive liner notes. Apparently, the original album fetches crazy prices on eBay, so here's a chance to own it without selling a kidney.

The album starts of a little messy and I was wondering whether to hit stop until things stabilized a little. The music is rather thrashy, sometimes really sounding like pure straightforward thrash if it weren't for the vocals. The delivery is mostly fast, though it's not unusual for slower, heavier, almost creepy passages to pop out of nowhere, as are more melodic, guitar-only short bits that aren't without reminding me of what Annihilator did back in the '80s. There is a progression toward more of what one can expect from "pure" death metal, but the band often reverts to something more thrashy. That makes for some variety, though it's a bit of a rollercoaster ride that can be a bit of a turn-off at times. The vocals are a mix of pretty good growls and more screechy vocals that I have yet to get used to after several listens. I didn't like As Seen Through Tears much on the first couple of listens; it's one of those albums that needs some time to sink in. If dark, early-ish death metal is your thing, give this one a try.