Year of release: 2020
Label: Nuclear War Now! Productions
Rating: 7 / 10
NWN is reissuing another batch of ancient artifacts. Of all the metal bands with the name AMPUTATION (there are about 20 of them), probably the most stellar was chosen. It was in this group the young Olve Eikemo (Abbath from IMMORTAL), Harald Naevdal (Demonaz) and Jørn Inge Thunsberg (HADES) played from 1988 to 1990.
AMPUTATION's music is nothing less than primal Death Metal with easy-to-read sources of inspiration. The demo “Achieve the Mutilation” is a solid earliest SEPULTURA worship. There are a lot of thrash riffs, a similar style of playing drums and characteristic cut-off vocals. Despite the primitive sound and young age of the authors, the music is played, perhaps, more evenly than the Brazilians did. The demo “Slaughtered in the Arms of God” is a more advanced release. It has a deep dark sounding, fast and slow sections alternate in music, vocals have turned into gravely roars, samples and small keyboard fragments have appeared. Before recording these songs, the band listened to AUTOPSY and POSSESSED for sure, and possibly for MASSACRE demos as well.
Both demos are very solid examples of the genre. I've heard stronger ones, but it's still better than the gray coprolites that every publisher today wants to have in its roster, calling this shit "cult" just because it's old. There are songs, the right sound, and the atmosphere of real Death Metal. Unlike OLD FUNERAL, where all the same people tried to figure out something funny. It is strange that in 30 years no one got around to making an official reissue. Now, thanks to NWN, it has finally happened. In addition to the demo, a 1989 rehearsal tape was added to the end of the release. Complete garbage, but it doesn't hurt either.
English (UK) 
Крыўская