UMUR "Promo '97" is a demo release by Finnish death metal act Paraxism. The demo was independently released in 1997. It succeeds Paraxism only label release the 1996 ".xism Excursion" EP. Apparently Paraxism still had issues finding a record label to release their music, and had to release another promo to send to labels.

Stylistically the material on the 4 track, 14:45 minutes long demo continues the melodic death´n´roll style Paraxism initiated on the 1995 "Selected Works - Promo 95" and further enchanced on the ".xism Excursion" (1996) EP. So the band had definitely settled on the style of music they wanted to play, and as such they also continue the high quality of the two previous releases. But it´s still like something has changed. The sound production is less interesting, and the drums sound like they are programmed. I´m not sure if this is true or not, but I know that Paraxism always had high quality drumming on the previous releases, and this time it sounds simplistic and lacks creativity.

So upon conclusion "Promo '97" is a solid demo/promo release by Paraxism, but it´s not the release which could bring them the recording contract they so much longed for. That should have happened after one of the two preceding releases. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR ".xism Excursion" is an EP release by Finnish death metal act Paraxism. The EP was released through Crawfish Recordings in 1996. It was recorded and mixed in December 1995. It succeeds the 1995 promo tape "Selected Works - Promo 95", which finally secured Paraxism a label deal to release this EP. Paraxism formed in 1990 and released an old school death metal styled demo in 1992, but repidly evolved and released the 1993 "Promo 93", which was a melting pot of old school death metal, melodic death metal, and death´n´roll, but on "Selected Works - Promo 95" it seemed that the band had settled on a melodic death´n´roll style.

And indeed the melodic death´n´roll style of "Selected Works - Promo 95" is continued on ".xism Excursion", but now packed in a professional studio production. The band have again enlisted guests to perform violin and mini moog on this release in addition to the more "normal" rock/metal instrumentation of guitars, bass, drums, and vocals. While the band´s core death´n´roll sound is interesting enough in itself, the additional instruments provide the band´s sound with something a little more exotic, and it works wonders for the soundscape.

".xism Excursion" is quite a brilliant release (a little short featuring only 3 tracks and a total playing time of 13:15 minututes, but quality of course always beats quantity), and fans of contemporary Amorphis and Sentenced should definitely give it a listen. It´s high quality melodic death´n´roll and it´s a real shame that ".xism Excursion" ended up being their sole label release, because it´s obvious that Paraxism had a lot more to offer, had they been given the chance. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Selected Works - Promo 95" is the fourth demo by Finnish death metal act Paraxism. The demo was released as a promo tape in 1995 and was predominantly sent to labels to get a recording contract. The same tactic was used on the preceding demo/promo "Promo 93", but a recording contract never materialized. This time Paraxism was more successful though, as they managed to get signed by the Crawfish Recordings label for the release of the 1996 ".xism Excursion" EP on the merits of "Selected Works - Promo 95"...

...and listening to "Selected Works - Promo 95" it´s perfectly understandable why some labels would find Paraxism interesting. Stylistically they´ve finally settled on a melodic death´n´roll tinged death metal style (in contrast to the preceding demo release which featured multible stylistic elements), which isn´t far removed from contemporary Amorphis and especially Sentenced. In addition to drums, guitars, bass, and vocals, Paraxism have also included violin and mini moog (performed by guests), which are extra spices to their music. The way the two instruments are used on closing track "Imitating... ", makes that track an almost progressive rock/metal listening experience.

"Selected Works - Promo 95" is a creative and highly energetic release. Although it´s predominantly mid-paced there is a good energy and organic playing style featured on the demo which make it an entertaining and well performed release throughout. The sound quality is also close to professional studio quality, and upon conclusion this is a high quality demo/promo and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Promo 93" is the third demo release by Finnish death metal act Paraxism. The demo was released as a promo tape in 1993 and was predominantly sent to labels to get a recording contract. Unfortunately for the band that didn´t happen, and they had to record yet another demo in 1995 titled "Selected Works - Promo 95", before being signed for the release of the 1996 EP ".xism Excursion" (their only label release).

"Promo 93" is quite the revelation in terms of development since the old school death metal style of the band´s 1992 demo tape. The band now incorporate death´n´roll parts, blasting deathgrind parts, melodic death metal parts, and continue their disregard for vers/chorus structures, making this promo a melting pot of the most popular death metal styles of the early 90s. The growling vocals have now taken on a slighly more melodic touch while still sounding brutal. Paraxism certainly do what they can to ensure that the poor reviewers have a hard time describing their music...

Featuring 7 tracks and a total playing time of 28:21 minutes, "Promo 93" is packed with material for the labels to listen to, and in that respect it does exactly what a successful demo/promo should do. "Polyphony" and "Futures..." stand out as some of the highlights of the release, but all tracks are worth a listen and the songwriting quality is overall high. The same can be said about the production values and the musicianship, so a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Reh. Tape" is a rehearsal demo tape by Finnish death metal act Paraxism. The demo was recorded on the 1st of March 1993. It´s the successor to the June 1992 "Demo I".

Stylistically the material on "Reh. Tape" is old school death metal with a few nods towards deathgrind, melodic death metal, and even a touch of death´n´roll (although the dose is minimal on this release). It´s a hint to what Paraxism would do on the next promo tape "Promo 93", but much more primitive, raw, and savage in execution. Needless to say that rehearsal demos don´t normally feature pristine sounding production values, but this is actually half decent in the world of rehearsal demos.

The band are obviously well playing and the material is intriguing, brutal, and raw too, so upon conclusion "Reh. Tape" is a decent quality release. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.