MERCILESS · Behind The Realms Of The Dark | CD

CD in jewelcase with 24-page booklet including interview and pictures.

Background information about 'Behind The Realms Of The Dark'

Before Merciless unleashed their legendary debut "The Awakening" on Euronymous' Deathlike Silence Productions, they were young, hungry, and absolutely vicious. "Behind The Realms Of The Dark" compiles their two earliest demos — Behind the Black Door (1987) and Realm of the Dark (1988) — and what a glorious, filthy snapshot of Swedish underground history this is. These tracks don't polish anything; they're raw, frantic, and bursting with the kind of teenage fury that only true believers in the early extreme metal scene could channel.

The production is rough around the edges, sure, but that's exactly the point. What these recordings lack in studio sheen, they more than make up for with sheer, untamed aggression. You can hear the blueprint of what would soon explode into the Swedish death and black metal scenes — alongside bands like Obscurity and Morbid, Merciless were carving a path through the darkness before most people even knew there was a path to carve. Every riff sounds like it's tearing itself out of the speakers, and the drumming is a frantic, chaotic pulse that never lets up. The 32-page A4 booklet includes an in-depth interview with Erik Wallin plus tons of previously unseen photos, making this a treasure trove for anyone who wants to understand where it all started. All tracks have been carefully restored and remastered by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony.

For fans of:
Morbid, Obscurity, Nihilist, Bathory, early Slayer

Track listing

Behind The Black Door (Demo 1987):

1. Intro
2. Merciless Death
3. Behind The Black Door
4. Realm Of The Dark
5. Outro

Realm Of The Dark (Demo 1988):
6. Intro
7. Pure Hate
8. Realm Of The Dark
9. Merciless Death
10. Behind The Black Door
11. Outro

Manufacturer: Darkness Shall Rise Productions, Lengenfelder Straße 58, 08107 Kirchberg, Germany, Contact: darknessshallrise.de