UMUR "Sublime Dementia" is the 3rd full-length studio album by French death metal act Loudblast. The album was released through Semetery Records in October 1993. It´s the successor to "Disincarnate" from 1991 and there´s been one lineup change since the predecessor as drummer Thierry Pinck has been replaced by Hervé Coquerel (a change that has had great impact on the music, but more on that later). It´s the third drummer in the band on as many albums. "Sublime Dementia" was recorded and mixed at Morrisound Studios in Florida with producer Scott Burns.

Stylistically the material on "Sublime Dementia" continue the US influenced death metal style of "Disincarnate (1991)", but it´s generally a much more sophisticated and varied release than its direct predecessor. The sound production is also of a better quality than the relatively powerless sound on "Disincarnate (1991)", although the production on "Sublime Dementia" isn´t one of the best coming out of Morrisound Studios. It´s decent though and doesn´t distract from the music.

Listening to "Sublime Dementia" it´s audible that Loudblast have had a long look in the mirror after releasing two pretty mediocre albums because the quality of the riffs, the guitar solos, and the growling vocals are all pretty high. Add to that new drummer Hervé Coquerel, who has a varied, powerful, and technical drumming style, which provides the band´s music with a much needed injection of energy and power, and I´m at least half impressed by Loudblast, which isn´t something I thought would be possible after listening to the first two albums.

Not everything is great here, and I could for example have lived without listening to the (fortunately) short atmospheric interlude track "About Solitude" (featuring high pitched female vocals), where I think Loudblast opted for including too much variation and experimentation. The type of death metal which is heard on most tracks on the album is predominantly heavy and mid-paced, but as mentioned above nicely energetic because of the drumming style. Upon conclusion "Sublime Dementia" is a positive surprise and a step up for Loudblast and a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.