J-Man Death Comes From Nowhere marks the beginning of Unholy Grave's long and illustrious career that has so far spanned nearly two decades. This Japanese grindcore act has released literally dozens of split albums, demos, EP's, and full-lengths since this 1993 demo, and it certainly wouldn't be out of the question to call them one of grindcore's most prolific acts. Death Comes From Nowhere shows the band playing a style of death metal-influenced grindcore with obvious influences from acts like Brutal Truth, Napalm Death, and Terrorizer; fans of those bands at their most raw and unpolished may want to give Death Comes From Nowhere a listen. This is an unprofessional effort that shows very little originality from Unholy Grave, but enthusiasts of the genre may want to lend an ear anyway.

As expected from an early nineties' extreme metal demo, the recording quality on Death Comes From Nowhere is less-than-stellar. While not a crippling flaw, the muddy sound quality and poorly recorded vocals can be a turn off for listeners who like to hear every note being played. My biggest gripe here is not actually in the poor sound quality, but more in the department of unremarkable songwriting. Although the sheer energy that Unholy Grave exhibits can make for a mildly entertaining listen, they don't bring anything to the table that hasn't been previously done better by other bands. The riffs on Death Comes From Nowhere are standard by the genre's conventions, and there's really not much here to make for a memorable listening experience.

Although Death Comes From Nowhere may not be the best album from a listener's perspective, it does show a young band with the chops to succeed in the extreme metal universe. Unholy Grave clearly displays that, with a bit more originality and polish around the edges, they have potential to create some killer material - and for a debut demo, I guess that's the first priority. Still, Death Comes From Nowhere is fan material only, and avoidable for everyone else. 2 stars are deserved, and I'll be looking forward to giving a few more releases from this band a shot as well.