Supuration’s last album ‘CU3E’ was a minor revelation for these ears; part Carcass, part Voivod circa ‘Nothingface’, it literally formed me a new earhole. Well perhaps that’s a slight exaggeration on my part but rarely have I been as taken by such an avant-garde example of death metal. On top of the music, its obscure first-person narrative added a further layer of intrigue – away from typical genre subjects. When the band started out back in 1990, however, the context understandably meant that their earliest efforts were all about lo-fi, ear bleeding death metal, and gore and decay. While their demos from this time were neatly compiled by Xtreem Music as recently as 2011, the band has since decided to go one step further by rerecording their earliest creations for ‘Reveries…’.
‘Avoid the Contamination’ emerges first, as it did in its original form, with confounding circus music before drums and guitars kick in. As the musical twists and turns unfurl, the noticeably minor role of bass in the mix affords the vocals and other instruments free reign. In particular, the two distinct elements of guitar and drums stand out; coming across as detached yet united at the same time. As well as creating a sense of alienation for the listener, this approach lends these ancient tunes a clarity that their original reverb-heavy versions lacked. Two things emerge as a result. First, is just how musically progressive Supuration’s song structures have been since day one – an aspect which isn’t immediately apparent from the 1990s versions. And second, is the central role of atmospheric nuance in these finely honed reinterpretations. Obviously hints to the band’s early influences ooze out, such as those hacking Pestilence-like riffs, but tracks like ‘Hypertrophy…’ rely just as heavily on well conceived – and not necessarily brutal – tangents to stagger the flow.
Beyond the numerous indicators of Supuration’s ingenuity from the start, it would be remiss not to mention those visceral aspects. At times, the gnarled, gritty guitar tone really forces its way through the fluctuating soundscape; making those deviations into groove or cold premeditation all the more effective. (Maybe bearing this in mind for the next full-length could reap some interesting results for the band.) Equally, the drumming style heightens the contrasts in mood with frenzied outbursts – as is appropriate to the material at hand – before diverging elsewhere. Whether the compositions are always the most engaging is almost beside the point due to the band’s reluctance to rest on its laurels; constantly changing tack and throwing in curveballs. The coolest example of the latter being an elongated solo which is unceremoniously interrupted by the vocals. Closing out the disc are three covers: bass-enhanced ones of Paradise Lost and Twisted Sister, and a slightly more unhinged interpretation of Anthrax’s ‘Among the Living’ which takes a little getting used to.
As you might expect, the tracks on ‘Reveries…’ aren’t as compositionally absorbing as the band’s later work. If I’d been hearing the material around 1990 when freshly produced, it may well have been a mindfunking experience but by today’s standards – and the band’s own well established ones – just a handful of the tracks here qualify as ‘really good’. And as far as I can tell, besides some unavoidable refinement in their playing style, the band have been pretty faithful to those original versions. As for the covers, well, they are little more than neat curiosity pieces. Overall then, ‘Reveries…’ is worth obtaining if you have a keen interest in Supuration, but it’s hardly essential.
Perhaps a more valuable undertaking would have been to reissue their debut (hint, hint Listenable).
(7/10 Jamie)
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