Another Thrashback Records Compilation, this seven-band sampler does less for me than Vol. 1. There are no tracks to compete with Drop Dead's powerful trio of death metal here, and the inclusion of seven different bands makes the compilation feel less focused. That the bands all had planned to release these 7"s on A.R.T. Records in the past might not be enough for some listeners to internalize the reason for this compilation's existence as worthwhile. While saving and digitizing these tracks for posterity is a laudable task, I'm not sure I would come back to much of this material unless it was tangentially related to something else. Maybe I would revisit a single track from The Risen if I was doing in depth research on death metal from Maryland. Perhaps I would come back to Oblation if one of the old members sent me something from a new project to check out. Maybe I would have to come back to Royal Anguish if the early to mid 90's Floridian death metal scene was a topic of discussion. But beside scholarship, this will likely see quite a lot of shelf-time and not a huge amount of play time as a complete album. These tracks, just like Vol. 1 of the A.R.T. Records compilations released by Thrashback Records, were from 7" single presses in the 90's. Unlike Vol. 1, these singles were never released.
The best of the 7"s compiled here is the that of Faithful Witness and Mansoul. Faithful Witness cuts, "Shadows" and "Trembling of the Spirit" are the best overall off that, however the Mansoul release is easily the most interesting from a criticism / textural perspective. The two Faithful Witness tracks draw heavily on Suffocation and the New York Death Metal scene. There is a generous gargle to their bottom heavy tone, and the swelling speaker fuzz is the perfect compliment to the slow breakdown in "Trembling of the Spirit", a track whose origins are elusive to me, as it was included as a bonus track, and was not on the original 7". "Shadows" is likely the same recording from their sole 1993 self-titled demo tape, just recycled for the split release. I would have loved to have heard the other two tracks from that release. Mansoul's "Justified By Blood" is simply a unique track. It starts off with low-grade death metal and rubbery bass before breaking into a Preces-styled vocal transition. The echoing and angelic vocals of the Preces section get truncated by oppressively distorted guitars with a hint of phasing. The track then moves into a Megadeth-esque thrash riff and so on. The whole introduction is unique and memorable and the shifts in style are unpredictable for the first few listens.
The tracks from the Royal Anguish / The Risen split 7" are average at best. "Retrospect" also appeared on the Killing Time compilation, and so is an immediate deduct for me. It appears to be the same exact recording and the additional track, "Shocking The Priest" doesn't do much for me either. Royal Anguish, through the tracks on these compilations have not won me over, even though they were a staple in the mid 90's in the Floridian scene. The Risen inhale their smoke from the polluted Northeastern death metal out of New York and New Jersey, going so far as to name their track, "Mortal Decay". There is no comparison quality wise, though, to the classics Dawn of Misery or Grisly Aftermath or pretty much most of Mortal Decay's catalog, really; the track is acceptable, but forgettable. The Oblation / Deracination 7" tracks, however, are solid death metal. Oblation's "Dead Unborn" is worthy of inspection with a unique main riff, and faster parts reminiscent of Scream Bloody Gore or Leprosy. Deracination's "Death by Fire" is a cool track with a thick Swedish guitar tone.
The CD also includes two Final Prophecy tracks from a 7". While I guess it's reasonable to include these since they were also released as singles, I kind of liked the whole theme of 7" splits as further tying the release together. "Through Eyes of Fire" is not substantially different enough for me from that which was included on the Killing Time compilation. "We Must Die", however, is new. Thrashier in sound and style, and with less brutal death metal vocals than the other tracks, it both stands out and is odd man out. So for a release which really shows a mixture of death metal bands of different influences and scenes, I'm not sure where/if the track fits in well. I would have preferred a dredged up 7" of death metal from the crypts from the A.R.T Records back catalog. For example, A.R.T. Records released a demo tape from a Christian themed death metal band from Kentucky called Corpse, which would have been cool to include. Absent the two Final Prophecy tracks, Corpse included, it would have pushed this compilation over an hour long, but may have been a better fit against the other Death Metal tracks. I like the Final Prophecy material, but I just haven't been able to enjoy it given the context I've been served it within.
This release should conclude Thrashback's Singles Series. The two releases as a whole are interesting and both have some worthwhile material for what surely is a rather small overall audience. Regarding these types of compilations of obscure material from bygone bands: I can't help but feel there are miscalculations regarding how much interest there truly is in these kinds of releases. For scholarship purposes these are essential volumes; before long these 7" singles and odd demo tapes will surely disappear into boxes, storage units, and the crevice between record shelves and backerboards, never to be seen again. So this compilation - and Vol. 1 - do serve a purpose, even if that purpose is infinitesimally relevant. From a purely entertainment perspective I think it's more likely that average listeners want re-releases of albums long out of print.
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