Arckanum: Trulen (1994)

I guess we are going backwards for the second out of the three Arckanum posts (for now).  This is the band's fourth demo, but the last one before Arckanum released their debut full-length.  A number of the songs that appear on Fran Marder also appear here, though not sounding quite the same.

This is a much more raw and amateur sound than the band had on the debut.  The biggest difference is in the production and the guitar tone.  It's a much more stripped-down sound and does not have nearly the bottom end found on the debut full-length.  But many of the other elements that made the debut so good are here, including the fast riffing style, the nature sounds and the dark and occult atmosphere.  Also present are the vocals, which alternate between harsh screams and hypnotic chanting.

I still have to say that with the choice between this demo and Fran Marder, the latter is the better listen.  The improvement in production has a big impact.  This is a fine demo, but just know that it has the typical limitations of a self-produced demo.  The full-length sounds much more impressive.