UMUR "Storm of Dilemmas" is the second full-length studio album by Polish death metal act Ascaris. The album was released through Sonic Vibe Studio in 2001. It´s the successor to "Uncured Sickness" from 1994, although the two full-length studio albums are bridged by the 1996 "Grapes of Wrath" EP. "Storm of Dilemmas" would be Ascaris last album in their original run as they disbanded shortly after its release.

Stylistically Ascaris have developed their sounds quite a bit since the gloomy, raw, and lo-fi produced debut album, and they have also opted for a faster and more intense death metal sound. They´ve unfortunately sacrificed some of the soaring melancholic lead work and atmoshere in the process, and while the quality of the musicianship and the sound production values have greatly increased since the debut album, "Storm of Dilemmas" does come off a less interesting and unique release. A 3 star (60%) rating is still warranted though, as we´re still dealing with a relatively solid death metal release.

UMUR "Grapes of Wrath" is an EP release by Polish death metal act Ascaris. The EP was released through Tuba Records in May 1996. It bridges the gap between Ascaris debut- and second full-length studio albums "Uncured Sickness" (1994) and "Storm of Dilemmas" (1996).

Stylistically the five tracks on the 27:34 minutes long EP continue the old school death metal style of "Uncured Sickness" (1994), but the lead guitar work has increased and "Grapes of Wrath" is generally a more melodic and adventurous release. The sound production values are still quite lo-fi though and "Grapes of Wrath" isn´t a particularly well produced release. The musicianship also leaves a bit to be desired, but upon conclusion "Grapes of Wrath" is still a relatively solid death metal release, featuring both old school brutality (mostly as a consequence of the growling vocals), but also an omnipresent melodic sensibility and an epic touch, which weren´t as pronounced on "Uncured Sickness" (1994). A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Uncured Sickness" is the debut full-length studio album by Polish death metal act Ascaris. The album was released through Tuba Records in 1994. Ascaris formed in 1991 and released two 1992 demos before being signed for the release of "Uncured Sickness".

After a short atmospheric intro it´s immedately revealed on "Crawling Chaos", that Ascaris play a slow-to mid-paced and occasionally doomy old school death metal style (they speed things up on occasion though). It´s gloomy, morbid, and raw, but also quite atmospheric featuring some nice lead guitar work. The deep growling vocals (which sound a little like a young Jan-Chris de Koeijer) are placed high in the mix, and they are quite brutal. The instrumental part of the music is not played with the greatest conviction and especially the drummer have a hard time keeping time and not make mistakes (he often sounds strained and challenged beyond his abilities). The sound production is also quite raw and unpolished, which isn´t usually an issue on an old school death metal release, but here it means that it lacks power, and that isn´t a positive feature.

So "Uncured Sickness" is a release featuring some pretty decent songwriting, great vocal work, a relatively weak sound production, and sloppy instumental musicianship. Still there are enough redeeming qualities here to warrant a 3 star (60%) rating.