Amputation
Slaughtered in the Arms of God

Release Date: 1990 | Tracklist

Why Amputation decided to break up as prematurely as they did is beyond me. The talent and potential of this band was quite evident in their stellar 1990 EP "Slaughtered In The Arms of God." Forming in 1988 with members who would later go on to form Immortal and Hades Almighty, Amputation played a rather unique and opaque style of death metal unlike what their Scandinavian brethren were playing at the time. In their short lifespan Amputation managed to release two quality demos before the big death metal boom.

The demo I'm reviewing today is "Slaughtered In The Arms of God." Although featuring only two tracks and running for just seven minutes, SITAOG stands the test of time as a seminal death metal release. There are a lot of things I love about the demo starting with the grim atmosphere. Amputation plays a dusky form of mid-tempo death metal that utilizes the cavernous sounding production made popular by Incantation and others. The atmosphere is very dark, the riffs are very murky and soul-crushingly heavy and the vocals are deep growls that have been obscured for a sinister effect. The demo's bestial sound is enhanced by violent percussion and bleak melodicism with some soloing thrown in for good measure.

The most impressive aspect of this demo is how catchy and well-written it is. I realize this is only seven minutes long but there is never a dull moment. I'm quite certain if their was more material on here it would be of the same quality as the two tracks being showcased here flat out rule.Great performances are abound as one can truly appreciate the filthy sophistication that was Amputation. It's a damn shame Amputation didn't stay around longer because they could have been a force to be reckoned with. Instead, we're stuck with Immortal.

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3.5 great

Rank: #0 for 1990