SORCERY — Unholy Creations (review)

Boxset / Compilation · 2011 · Death Metal

3/5 · 2025-05-10
UMUR

"Unholy Creations" is a compilation album by Swedish death metal act Sorcery. The compilation was released through To the Death Records in March 2011. Sorcery formed in 1986 and released several seminal Swedish death metal demos (including a rehearsal demo 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.

"Unholy Creations" includes the material from Sorcery´s three demo releases from the years 1987-1989, a couple of tracks from the January 1989 Sorcery's Malediction rehearsal demo, and the material from the 1992 "Maculated" demo. So it´s essentially all (or almost all) of the non-label material Sorcery released in the years 1987-1997, which have been included on this compilation. The material from the August 1990 "Rivers of the Dead" EP/Single and the material from "Bloodchilling Tales" have not been included here.

Other than the material from the "Maculated" demo, "Unholy Creations" shows the early blackened thrash/death metal sound of Sorcery. They didn´t become a pure death metal act before the release of "Rivers of the Dead", but prior to that they were still a pretty interesting, intense, and by 1989 accomplished blackened death/thrash metal act.

The material from the April 1987 "The Arrival" demo is pretty primitive blackened thrash/speed metal and an early example of Swedish extreme metal (I´d put this demo in the same catagory as the first Morbid release). By the time Sorcery released the early 1988 "Ancient Creation" demo, they had become much more extreme, relentlessly fast-paced, and aggressive. A high energy blackened death/thrash metal style performed by a band who had obviously honed their playing skills since the relatively primitive first demo.

They shortly changed their name to Sorcery's Malediction in late 1988/early 1989 and recorded a January 1989 rehearsal demo under that monicker, of which two tracks ("Obscure Beauty" and "Kill, Kill, Kill and Kill Again") appear on this compilation in the rehearsal versions. The three remaining tracks from the rehearsal demo appear here in the studio versions, which appeared on Sorcery´s fourth demo recording "Unholy Crusade" in August 1989. By that time the band had changed their name back to Sorcery again. The "Unholy Crusade" shows a more varied blackened death/thrash metal style with the band playing both furiously fast-paced and aggressive but also mid-paced and heavy.

The material from the 1992 "Maculated" demo is the most regular death metal sounding tracks featured on "Unholy Creations". Unfortunately they are relatively unremarkable tracks, which couldn´t live up to the quality of the material featured on "Bloodchilling Tales", which was probably one of the major factors in Sorcery not being able to secure a new recording contract and eventually disbanding in 1997.

As a compilation of the early non-label material from Sorcery/Sorcery´s Malediction, "Unholy Creations" does its job well. It´s a good introducton to the pre-death metal period of the band and a valid document of the development of the early Swedish death metal scene. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.