UMUR
"The Arrival" is the first demo recording by Swedish death metal act Sorcery. The demo was independently released in April 1987 and it´s actually a full album length demo featuring 12 tracks and a total playing time of 53:30 minutes. Sorcery formed in 1986 and released several seminal Swedish death/thrash metal demos (one under the Sorcery's Malediction monicker) before being picked up by Underground Records for the release of their debut full-length studio album "Bloodchilling Tales" (August 1991). Sorcery subsequently put out the 1992 "Maculated" demo but eventually disbanding in 1997 without any further releases under their belts. All material from the demo is included on the 2011 "Unholy Creations" compilation album.
Considering the release date it´s no surprise that the material on "The Arrival" isn´t exactly pure death metal. Instead it´s a hybrid blackened thrash/speed metal style with proto-death metal tendencies. Artists like Hellhammer/Celtic Frost and Bathory haven´t lived in vain. The recording quality is amaturish and lo-fi although it´s clear enough for the listener to hear all details. The drums are actually produced pretty well but the guitars sound thin and the bass is a distant rumble. The vocals are a raw snarling which is almost spoken with a rough voice distortion. Upon conclusion "The Arrival" is more interesting than great, but it´s still obvious why Sorcery are counted among the earliest extreme metal acts from Sweden. A 2 star (40%) rating is warranted.
