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Deceased - Supernatural Addiction (Relapse) 2000
1. "The Premonition" (5:35)
2. "Dark Chilling Heartbeat" (6:26)
3. "A Very Familiar Stranger" (5:18)
4. "Frozen screams" (5:04)
5. "The Doll With The Hideous Spirit" (5:34)
6. "The Hanging Soldier" (4:20)
7. "Chambers of the Waiting Blind" (7:50)
8. "Elly's Dementia" (7:42)
Many years ago I owned a death metal album called "Fearless Undead Machines" by a band called Deceased. At the time I remember really liking the music but being a bit turned off by the "Dawn of the Dead" type lyrics. At that point in my life, I was only listening to "Christian metal" and couldn't enjoy fiction-based lyrics. Well, many years have passed since then and I rediscovered this band again. Deceased can no longer be classified as a death metal band; rather they now play straightforward heavy metal with some slight thrash influences and even a touch of Voivod type experimentation here and there. King Fowley's vocals are not of the cookie monster growl type. Rather he steers this heavy metal ship with his gruff and grim vocals. The songwriting here is, as I said, pure heavy metal; melodic leads, catchy guitar riffs, pounding drums, and heavy, anthem based songwriting. To me it sounds like the band was equally influenced by the like of Iron Maiden and a horde of thrash bands like Whiplash and Kreator. As usual, the lyrics are based on fictional horror, zombies and such. My copy is autographed by ringleader and head zombie King Fowley.
Deceased - Corpses, Souls & Other Strangeness (Relapse) 2003
1. "Fading Survival" (2:59)
2. "The Cemetary's Full" (3:05)
3. "Experimenting With Failure" (2:25)
4. "Futuristic Doom" (3:19)
5. "Haunted Cerebellum" (2:54)
6. "Decrepit Coma" (3:05)
7. "Shrieks From The Hearse" (3:24)
8. "Psychedelic Warriors" (5:14)
9. "Feasting On Skulls" (3:40)
10. "Birth By Radiation" (4:17)
11. "Gutwrench" (2:00)
12. "The 13 Frightened Souls" (3:09)
13. "Robotic Village" (3:03)
14. "Voivod" (2:56)
15. "Planet Graveyard/Nuclear Exorcist" (9:50)
16. "The 13 Frightened Souls" [alternative version] (3:13)
17. "Robotic Village" [alternative version] (3:05)
18. "Fading Survival" [live] (3:00)
19. "The Cemetery's Full" [live] (2:53)
"Corpses, Souls & Other Strangeness" is a compilation of the early death metal years of Deceased. This CD compiles all tracks from the "Luck of the Corpse" album, the "Thirteen Frightened Souls" EP, as well as some bonus demo and live tracks. Personally I like the "Luck of the Corpse" tracks the best. This is old school death metal at it's finest. It's heavy, memorable and not overly technical. One of my favorite tracks, however, is the Voivod cover. King Fowley is a big Voivod fan. Kudos! Voivod rule!
Deceased - Rotten To The Core (Malt Soda) 2004
1. "I'm Not Jesus"
[Ramones] (2:47)
2. "Here To Stay" [Sheer Terror] (2:17)
3. "False Prophet" [English Dogs] (2:34)
4. "Ultra Violent" [N.O.T.A.] (1:50)
5. "Nothing" [Plasmatics] (3:31)
6. "World Peace" [Cro-Mags] (2:02)
7. "Eliminator" [Agnostic Front] (3:15)
8. "You Stupid Jerk" [Angry Samoans] (:19)
9. "Corporate Deathburger" [MDC] (1:17)
10. "Right Brigade" [Bad Brains] (1:56)
11. "Violent World" [45 Grave] (1:58)
12. "V.A. Rocks Your Liver" [Verbal Abuse] (1:36)
13. "California Uber Alles" [Dead Kennedys] (3:06)
14. "Social Security" [Excel] (3:33)
15. "State Oppression" [Raw Power] (1:28)
16. "Bodies" [Sex Pistols] (13:27)
16. "Subliminal" [Suicidal Tendencies/hidden
track]
16. "Madman" [D.R.I./hidden track]
It's not unusual for heavy metal bands to cover punk songs. As a matter of fact, it almost became a trend in the late 80s and early 90's with thrash bands to cover punk songs. However, I never would have expected Deceased to do a CD of nothing but punk covers. I guess I have this mental image of King Fowley of being the heavy metal die-hard. I would have much more expected a CD full of underground heavy metal covers. However, much to my delight, this CD freakin' slays! Yes, Deceased do an excellent job of putting metallic touches to these classic punk songs. King's gravely voice actually works well with a a majority of the material here. Standout tracks include "Ultra Violent", "Corporate Deathburger" and The Ramones' "I'm Not Jesus". The hidden track at the end was a nice inclusion as well. Despite the fact that Suicidal went on to play metal and thrash, their first album is a punk rock classic. There is also another punk song after the Suicidal song that I am unfamiliar with. If anyone knows the name of this track, let me know.
Deceased - As The Weird Travel On (Thrashcorner Records) 2005
1. "The Kept"
(7:53)
2. "The Funeral Parlour's Secret" (6:29)
3. "A Witness to Suspiria" (4:02)
4. "Unwanted Memories (It Always Ends In Tears)" (4:31)
5. "Missing a Pulse" (5:41)
6. "Craving Illness" (4:22)
7. "A Visit From Dread" (7:21)
8. "Fright" (8:12)
King and his horde of zombies come roaring back after a few problems that would have been the end of many bands. Of course Deceased split with longtime label Relapse Records, and even more scary, King Fowley nearly died of a stroke the year before. However none of these things stopped Deceased from continuing on. After all these guys have been around for nearly two decades. So what of the music? Well, Deceased used to be labeled death metal, but "As the Weird Travel On" is far from this. Rather what we have here is great thrash metal with classic metal riffing, some melodic flourishes and King's firey bark. King's vocals are a bit more 'deathy' here than with his speed metal band October 31, who also released a new CD titled "No Survivors" not long ago. Unlike that release, "As the Weird Travel On" wasn't as immediately infectious. It took me a few listens to begin really hearing the hooks and for the songs to begin standing out on their own. I really hope this is the direction that the band will continue to take. While I liked their older albums, I am far more a fan of thrash and classic metal. Who better to do that style than Mr. Metal himself, King Fowley?