Review by Ben for Demigod - Slumber of Sullen Eyes (1992)

Demigod have always been a bit of an underground band, never really taking off the way other Scandinavian death metal bands did back in the early 90s. Heavily influenced by their Swedish neighbours, these Finnish youngsters created one very decent and atmospheric album and then disappeared for many years. But the album they left us with is certainly worth checking out, and it's sound is unique enough to make it stand out from all the other classic releases from this hugely diluted period.

The main difference between Demigod and the likes of Dismember and Entombed, is that Demigod change up their speed much more successfully. They may not ever reach the excitement level of those bands, but when they take things down a notch, it creates a really dense atmosphere and never allows Slumber of Sullen Eyes to become boring. They also utilise these slower, more crushing sections to pull out some cool focused leads, instead of just shredding wildly up and down the fretboard.  

If there is a weakness, I'd have to say that it's the rather pedestrian drumming. Too often Taatila falls back on the old one two style which sounds a bit dated these days. But the thick guitar sound and deep death growls are top notch and overall, this is an entertaining if not incredible album. It certainly deserves a bit more attention than what it has achieved over the years, but hopefully sites like Rate Your Music will bring it to the masses belatedly. It's hard to pick highlights as the album has a consistent quality throughout.