No Speed Limit: Essential Quebec Metal Demo Tapes

 

One of the more interesting items I have picked up in recent years is this collection of replica demo tapes from the Quebec thrash metal scene in the mid 1980's.  Some of the metal coming out of Quebec at that time period was absolutely amazing.  Of course there was the almighty Voivod, the best metal band from Canada and a hugely influential one.  But there were several more groups who never quite got the recognition they deserved.  This is a collection of eight tapes, each one a demo or live recording of a group from the time period that was sought after by tape traders the world over.  It is an incredible collection of some groups who had some success and others that simply disappeared.

VOIVOD: NO SPEED LIMIT WEEKEND

Of course we have to start out with the masters.  There is simply put, no other band out there like Voivod.  They were never content to stick with just one sound for very long.  Each album is significantly different than the one that came before.  This was a live recording shortly after the release of Rrroooaaarrr, the band's second album and features a number of tracks from both of the band's full-length releases, from the punky energy of "Fuck Off and Die" to the machine-like precision of "Helldriver".  The sound is a bit rough (it is a live recording, probably by individuals who didn't have a real good idea how to record a live band), but it is easy to tell why Voivod ascended to the heights they did.  I have developed a greater appreciation for this band over the last few years to the point that they are now one of my favorite bands.  This recording captures them just as they were really starting to break through.

OUTRAGE: BURIED PIECES

We come from one of the most well-known, if not the most well-known, metal band from Quebec to a band who never even released a full-length.  Outrage owes their sound more to groups like Anvil and Exciter, it is more of a speed/traditional metal sound, and this is a compilation of some of their works.  According to the information booklet included with this collection, the band was in talks to sign to Roadrunner Records to release a full-length but broke up prior to that occurring, and so all we have is a couple of demos from them.  The lead guitars on this are very impressive, when he is not playing a melody from a public domain song (which really only happened once, but was enough to make note of it).  As this is a compilation over a period of a couple years, there is an extremely obvious improvement of songwriting and sound as it moves forward and the second half is much better than the first.

AGGRESSION: PREMIER DEMO

Aggression was an early Canadian band experimenting with the border line between thrash and death metal.  This demo was originally released in 1985.  The band was clearly taking influence from Venom, Hellhammer and Slayer.  This is one of the best demos in this entire collection, so it is disappointing that it is one of the shortest.  Aggression released a full-length in 1987 that I may need to track down.  They then recorded a follow-up that was eventually released in 2004.  After that, guitarist/vocalist Denis Barthe started recording more music under the Aggression name and the band has since released four more albums.  How this demo is my only exposure to the band is odd.  I think I have some work to do.

VOOR: DEMO #2

Probably the release that gets the most praise in the booklet that accompanies this release is the Voor demo.  It is a pretty extreme release considering it came out in 1985 with a much greater feel for the rising death metal sound than some of the other releases in this collection.  The recording quality is pretty bad though, giving it an extremely raw feel.  Apparently after this demo was released, the band was offered a European tour and record label offers, but the drummer left and all those plans collapsed.  Voor eventually reformed and have released an EP and a full-length over the last ten years.  

SOOTHSAYER: TO BE A REAL TERRORIST

When I do these compilation posts, I talk a lot about wanting to check out more material by a band, so it is fair to wonder if I ever do.  Well, in this case, I did.  After hearing this demo, I bought Soothsayer's Have a Good Time.  Weirdly, this is one of those times where the demo is actually better than the full-length.  The album is fine, but the demo seems much more raw and primal, with ferocious vocals that seem to have been toned down for the album release.  The band seems to have a sense of humor with a couple of their songs being kind of goofy instrumentals, one such track does appear on this demo.  

TREBLINKA: TRIAL OF WAR

Obviously not the Treblinka that later changed their name to Tiamat, this is probably the most obscure band in this collection.  They released just two demos in a two-year period.  There is a reason for their obscurity however as one member died in a car accident shortly thereafter.  Their sound is very militaristic, with precision drumming and tight riffing, and it fits with the lyrical themes.  All of the songs reference warfare and death.  The sound is obviously very influenced by Slayer and even the band's demo cover resembles the Slayer logo with the eagle (which seems influenced by Nazi imagery, but we will not get into that here and I also won't get into the "Treblinka" name).  Treblinka appeared to have some promise so it is disappointing to see them curtailed so early.   

VENSOR: TRASH TILL DEATH

Okay, I take it back, this is probably the most obscure band in this collection.  Vensor only released two demos and none of the members appear to have done anything else in the metal scene.  The band was a power trio featuring two brothers, one of whom (the drummer) was just 12 years old when this demo was recorded.  The release has a very primitive sound, owing to influences like Hellhammer and Venom.  The songs are short and sharp with pounding drums and grunted or shouted vocals.  The riffs are not terribly sophisticated, but that is not surprising given the young age of the members.  It would have been very interesting to see what this band could have developed into had they kept at it.      

OBLIVION: DEMO #2

Saving the best for last we have Oblivion's second demo.  The band eventually changed their name to "Obliveon" and I picked up their 1993 album Nemesis.  The band's sound is very reminiscent of groups like Heathen, more of a technical death/thrash metal sound.  The bass is the most interesting aspect as it does some very interesting rhythms that drive the songs forward.  It is very present in the mix, giving it that much more character.  The riffs are razor-sharp and the vocals are delivered in a rough bark and the unconventional song structures make the songs compelling.  There are a couple of other albums that I will have to check out at some point.  This was easily my favorite of the demos in this collection.