UMUR "Opulence and Preservation...Poverty and Desperation..." is the second demo recording by Finnish thrash metal act Protected Illusion. The demo was independently released in January 1989. It´s the successor to "Demo-88" from September 1988. There´s been a significant lineup change since the first demo as vocalist Sugi has been replaced by Marko Rytkönen. Drummer Jani has also left and has been replaced by Koffi. While the original cassette tape version of the demo is probably close to impossible to find today, the eight tracks from the 18:10 minutes long demo have been included on the 2008 "1989-1991: Watching the Wake" compilation album (Marquee Records) which compiles the material from Protected Illusion´s second demo (which is this one), their two EPs and their sole full-length studio album "Festering Fairytales" (Real Illusion, July 1990).

The addition of Rytkönen and Koffi to the ranks has meant a lot for the sound of Protected Illusion. Rytkönen has a raw snarling and fiercely aggressive vocal style and Koffi is a skilled and fast playing drummer, who drives Protected Illusion´s music forward with great intensity. When they play most fast and aggressive, their music is close to death/thrash metal and artists like Sadus, Dead Head, and Merciless. It´s pretty extreme for the time, but while most of the demo features these gnarly savage tunes, Protected Illusion have also found time and space to include the silly "fun" track "Rap Scappy, Jou!", which isn´t great for the consistency of the demo, but of course it makes the demo a bit more varied.

"Opulence and Preservation...Poverty and Desperation..." features a very raw, unpolished, and trebly sounding production. Most of the time it´s the perfect sound for the savage material, but there are some pretty major flaws in the way the demo is mixed. Most lead guitar parts are completely drowned in the busy and murky soundscape, so it´s not the best demo sound quality. The unhinged aggression and relentless energy of Protected Illusion are two very positive features of the demo though, and the songwriting is relatively memorable too, so upon conclusion "Opulence and Preservation...Poverty and Desperation..." is still a good quality demo from Protected Illusion, showing great progression from the first demo and a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.