I never let go of this demo/ep, they survived decades of purges! Eeeaaarly 90's pre-Absu grinding death and FUNERAL DOOM. Seriously, screw Absu, Magus could have been a straight up FORCE (the dark side of it) in the death metal scene. But no, we have to suffer with boring ol' Absu :p. Onward: Inherently grotty sound, the band went to a real studio but there's a muddiness I'm having trouble pinpointing (mastering? master tape? it doesn't feel like it's coming from the mix). The performances are outstanding. As far as the songs, it's typical fused death/grind of the time, but intensely played with an experienced ear for composition. The tuning and distortion (and deep room ambiance) is just beyond heavy, it's in megaton territory for me. They then 180 the fuck out of you with mindblowingly majestic doom! Black hole darkness nigga, synths 'n 'lins yo! They were so equally skilled in both genres, it woulda been the craziest ride to follow as a fan...if they didn't break up very soon after. The ep is just 3/4 of the demo, but is included here both for redundancy and the vaguely clearer sound.
Magus - "Ruminations Of Debauchery" Demo & 7" 1992
I never let go of this demo/ep, they survived decades of purges! Eeeaaarly 90's pre-Absu grinding death and FUNERAL DOOM. Seriously, screw Absu, Magus could have been a straight up FORCE (the dark side of it) in the death metal scene. But no, we have to suffer with boring ol' Absu :p. Onward: Inherently grotty sound, the band went to a real studio but there's a muddiness I'm having trouble pinpointing (mastering? master tape? it doesn't feel like it's coming from the mix). The performances are outstanding. As far as the songs, it's typical fused death/grind of the time, but intensely played with an experienced ear for composition. The tuning and distortion (and deep room ambiance) is just beyond heavy, it's in megaton territory for me. They then 180 the fuck out of you with mindblowingly majestic doom! Black hole darkness nigga, synths 'n 'lins yo! They were so equally skilled in both genres, it woulda been the craziest ride to follow as a fan...if they didn't break up very soon after. The ep is just 3/4 of the demo, but is included here both for redundancy and the vaguely clearer sound.