That moment you realise you have been involved in this game for a long time… a re-release of a demo from nearly 30 years ago, for a band reviewed and interviewed in the second issue of your zine. Something about “time flies” and all that nonsense.
1998. A year when some claimed Death Metal was still in a slump, yet albums like Incantation’s ‘Diabolical Conquest’, Krisiun’s ‘Apocalyptic Revelation’, Nile’s ‘Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka’, Morbid Angel’s ‘Formulas Fatal to the Flesh’, Deeds of Flesh’s ‘Inbreeding the Anthropophagi’, and Angelcorpse’s ‘Exterminate’ were fired at us. That was only a small selection, meaning the turnaround had begun. 1998 was also the year that laid the groundwork for one of the most reliable Death Metal acts in the Netherlands: Severe Torture.
‘Baptized…’ was their first demo, sold at the time on CD-R and cassette, and former VM staff member DannyB jumped on it straight away to support the band. He reviewed the demo immediately and set up the interview that appeared in the second xeroxed issue of VM back in the day. Oh simpler times… The demo was received very well across the board, though there were always those who dismissed them as a Cannibal Corpse clone.
The ‘Baptized…’ demo remains the only Severe Torture release with Eric de Windt on vocals before his departure to Sinister (later performing with Deströyer 666, Inhume, and Prostitute Disfigurement as well), alongside Jelle on guitar. Eric was replaced after the demo by Dennis Schreurs, who still handles vocals today, whereas Jelle was not replaced, leaving Severe Torture as a quartet until their third album ‘Fall of the Despised’, when Marvin Vriesde joined as second guitarist.
Beyond the demo, which offers a blunt blend of Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation and Deeds of Flesh without being a copycat, the five members, including original members Thijs van Laarhoven (guitars) and Patrick Boleij (bass), were frequent faces on stage. Off the cuff, if Death Metal was happening somewhere, odds were Severe Torture was there was well on the bill. That was certainly the impression at the time, in the best possible way. Whenever Severe Torture took the stage, they gave 100%, earning their reputation. There was even that moment when they attended an Immolation show as fans; after the opening band cancelled unexpectedly, they stepped up to play instead. Four of them did, at least, as Jelle was absent and chose to leave the band after they performed as a four-piece.
Alongside the demo on Side A, featuring great tracks such as ‘Baptized in Virginal Liquid’, Side B includes five live tracks from a 1999 show in Eindhoven. The band originally released this on CD-R as ‘Promo June 06 1999 + Live September 25 1999’. The sound quality is good enough to keep the tracks recognisable, making it a great addition for fans, though audiophiles might complain about occasional muddiness. Anyone who experienced the 1990s with live cassettes, rehearsals and demos will comfortably bask in this wave of nostalgia.
This re-release captures Severe Torture at the start of a long and impressive career. It is great to hear these demo versions again and to see them preserved on vinyl with an 12 pages booklet containing liner notes, vintage photos, and an interview… an interview that certainly looks familiar.
