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| | Surreality | | | Music Artist : | | Afterlife | | Music Style : | | General | | Record Label : | | Alma Records | | Release Date : | | 1993-05-31 | | Store Price : | | $13.98 | | Artistopia's Price: $13.98 | |
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Customer Reviews of This Album/CD |
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 Excellent, underrated Hoosier death metal
Submitted on: 2009-02-09 |
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By 1993, the traditional death metal scene had started to die out in popularity due to a glut of largely unoriginal, faceless acts flooding the market with mostly generic sounding output and the rise at the time of black metal in the underground.
I got out of the scene for a few years myself starting in about 1996 (when I really got more into old punk) and sadly ended up parting with the bulk of my at the time massive collection. Now that I've since gotten back into it and in a big way, I could shoot myself in the foot for some of the excellent releases I got rid of.
I was 18 in 1993 when Afterlife's "Surreality" came out and I remember hearing "Eve of Eclipse" on college radio and it really stood out to me as a raw, brutal death metal onslaught. Afterlife were among the bands keeping the sound alive when many fans were jumping ship. But interests change and can you believe "Surreality" was one of the releases that didn't survive the cut as far as the death metal CDs I ultimately held onto? Man, what a mistake!
That's why a few years ago, getting back into the sound and gripped with nostalgia fever, I started buying back much of my collection and I luckily found a copy of "Surreality" here on Amazon. It was like unearthing a buried treasure and being reunited with a long-lost friend.
The band hailed from the Elkhart, Indiana area and were kind of like an extension of the Chicago scene (one of the guys sports a Cianide shirt in the CD's band photo) -- the album was recorded at Illinois' Solid Sound Studios and the production of Martti Payne (of the band's label Olympic Recordings) is excellent, boasting a crisp tone that is very fluid and in your face.
The music is fast and brutal and at the same time quite catchy and original. They took some influence from bands of the time such as Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation, but the more technical guitar patterns make these guys stand out. The best tracks include the title track, the aforementioned "Eve of Eclipse," and closer "Dead Lights Glare" which has some very catchy, memorable riffing going on.
As a final note, the same Chicago college radio station where I first heard the band (WXAV 88.3 FM) had them as in-studio guests at one point and I called in and actually got to talk to vocalist Paul Ritchings and he came off as a very genuine, likeable guy.
Coming out at a more challenged time for death metal, this release did not get the fanfare it deserved but I love it and promise to never part with it again. Highly recommended to fans of vintage early '90s death metal. |
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 HIGHLY UNDERRATED ...KILLER DEATH METAL
Submitted on: 2006-11-14 |
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| Afterlife is one hell of a band. I have been listening to this kind of music since 1991 and I have managed to check out just about every band on the Grind core and JL America labels. Afterlife's Surreality is on album I missed and when I finally got my hands on it a few years ago I kicked myself in the head for not buying it. This band plays thrashy, semi-technical old-school Deathmetal with plenty of interesting brutal riffs, solid drumming and brutal low/raspy vocals. The first track reminded me allot of Dehydrated from Pestilence. Being the Pestilence fanatic Ive always been I instantly heard the Pestilence influence in Afterlife's songwriting and style. But this band is original, the bass player is amazing and performs some excellent bass solos in some of the songs. The profuction is excellent for this style of Deathmetal. The guitar has a crunchy, dirty thick sound that makes you want to grind your teeth and rub snadpaper accross your face. If you like Pestilence, Death, Cancer, Oppressor and Viogression, Afterlife - Surreality will impress the hell out of you. Pick it up and see what I mean |
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