UMUR "Decline's Return" is the 2nd demo by Greek grindcore (later black/gothic metal) act Rotting Christ. The demo was independently released on cassette tape in January 1989. It´s the successor to the "Leprosy of Death" demo from November 1988.

The music style is still a raw and aggressive type of grindcore, loaded with heavy hardcore sections, and loads of noisy and furiously fast-paced blasting. Like the case was with "Leprosy of Death" (1988), the material on "Decline's Return" was also recorded live at the band´s rehearsal space (on the 25th of January 1989), but unlike the first demo, the lo-fi sounding (non)-production of the material on "Decline's Return" makes it an almost impossble release to listen to. I can hear a distored rumbling bass somewhere in the mix, a vocalist shouting, and maybe a cymbal here and there, but other than that this is just a muddy and dark collage of noise.

While the musical influences are obviously still acts like Napalm Death and Extreme Noise Terror, the band´s lyrical approach has shifted towards goregrind Carcass territory which song titles like "Baptised in Phlegm", "Pneumonovascular Carcinogenesis", and "Embryonic Necrocannibalism" are a testimony to. 10 tracks and a total playing time of 9:30 minutes and then the demo is over, and in this case it´s hard not to feel some sort of relief. I don´t hesitate to call this sonic violence on the ears and there are probably not many out there, who will be able to appreciate a recording this raw and extreme. A 1.5 star (30%) rating is warranted.