Unleashed - Where No Life Dwells (1991)

I remember hot summer's in the early '90s - the buzzing flies, the scorching heat on the brow, the metal girls in their cut off denims - and of course, Floridian death metal. Obituary, Deicide, Monstrosity, Morbid Angel, et al , piunding out their brutal soundscapes, but eventually bands from all over the world were seeking that same sound, but not Unleashed. Alongside Entombed, Dismember, and a few other Euro bands, Unleashed were more interested in creating a doom-alden deathrap to ensnare listeners, exhibiting a grating, chainsaw-ridden sound that demolished the stereo and left cities to dust. Unleashed were pretty savage, but like Entombed they had something different to offer, not just the acoustic interlude here and there, or the maniacal vocals, but the whole product was one so fierce and grinding that in most cases these sort of bands destroyed the US scene. I'm of the opinion that it was the heavy groove type of feel that distanced such bands, and I recall hearing 'Where No Life Dwells' and being astounded by its brutality but also its layers of emotion. Over twenty years later 'Where No Life Dwells' - like so many classic death metal records - has stood the test of time, its sound so fresh and yet grating on the soul, the relentless pounding of its extremity something akin to putting one's ears into a blender. Unleashed carve bleak and ominous spundscapes, gargantuan images cast into the psyche from the stirrings of the title intro and punishing 'Dead Forever' to the formidable crushing noise of 'Before The Creation Of Time.' 'Where No...' is an immense record, and I'm so glad that this type of death metal, alongside the US scene was so dominant because many years later both scenes stand side by side as great guardians to remind us of the monstrous stirrings that went before. 8/10