Band: Finally Deceased
Title: Finally Deceased
Label: Twilight Vertrieb
Distribution: Twilight / Bertus
Release date: February 18th 2011
Review: CD (re-release)

The German formation Finally Deceased was originally formed at the beginning of the nineties. Except for a 7”EP in 1995 (Blessed By Demons, via Town Music) and the Escape-demo in 1996, the band has nothing left but a hungry feeling – they split up in 1997. But now our grumpy old men’s appetite will be satisfied, finally!
The band consisted of guitar player / vocalist Lars Reichmann (he used to be in Octoria, and he was the guy behind Grond as well), drummer Martin Mangels and bass player / backing vocalist Martin Staszak. They recorded this self-called debut in 1995 at the famous Stage One Studio (e.g. Eisregen, Nagelfar, Rotting Christ, Belphegor, Holy Moses) to release it fifteen years after registration, so all together: congratulations – don’t ever let us wait that long anymore!

(-) The album Finally Deceased does really sound dated. Nowadays the old school gets at its peak again, yet in this band’s case it won’t do, unfortunately. Therefore, the whole sounds much too passé. In 2011 it will not work anymore.
(+) The album was marvellous back then, and with Depression, Orth and Purgatory (Fleshcrawl went on tour and didn’t release a new studio album in 1995), they delivered one of the best German Death Metal albums that very same year.
So… this rejection goes for most ‘new’ Metal heads only. The nostalgic ones amongst us will be satisfied with this re-release. The songs were (and are) rhythmic, thrashy and catchy, accompanied by an energetic drive and uncomplicated melodies. It wasn’t the most renewing album, but the interaction between ‘simplicity’ (technical without being innovative) and ‘detailed’ did work. And as said: (especially) the melancholic spirits within our midst will appreciate this too-long-postponed release.

83/100

Ivan Tibos.