Dissection - The Grief Prophecy Demo

Opening the sombre gates.

(Originally submitted to the Metal Archives on March 10th 2021)  

Dissection, as many might already know, are one of black metal's greats. Mired in controversy, they released two (or one depending on who you ask) of the genre's most timeless works, The Somberlain and Storm of the Light's Bane. Both of those albums injected a heavy dose of melody into the black metal framework without sacrificing its energy or atmosphere and made a powerful impact on the genre as a whole. But what some people don't know is that the band started off as a death metal act, and it's that past that we're here to discuss. The Grief Prophecy is the band's very first demo, and it's a wholly different beast compared to what the band proceeded to do in the future.
Things start off with "Severed Into Shreds", and as someone who listened to their albums first, this came out of nowhere to me. It starts off with a very doomy section that has some hints of melody in it, bringing to mind Finnish bands like Purtenance or Rippikoulu, even though neither of those bands had released anything at the time of this demo. It is a good tone setter for this release, with its many riffs and neat leadwork that is sprinkled throughout. Notable sections include the lumbering riff that comes in at 0:42 and the lead that starts at 3:11. It's a great opener and really sets the tone for the rest of this release.
The other two tracks here, while good, fail to reach the level the opener set. "The Call of the Mist" feels like a more riff focused version of the track that preceded it, with just one solo in it. It still has some cool moments in it, like the alternating riffs at 1:51, or the song's one solo at 3:48, which kicksass despite its brevity. "Consumed" on the other hand, is the demo's shortest song, clocking in at just below 3 minutes. It lacks lead work of any kind, and suffers as a result, seeing as the leads have been one of Dissection's strongest points, even at their infancy. It still doesn't veer off into boring territory due to the fact that the band still mixes things up in terms of tempo and riffs, like the ones at 1:02 and 2:34. It's a bit of an underwhelming end to an otherwise nice demo, and would've benefited greatly from having at least some form of lead work in it.
The production here is what one would expect from a band's first demo. The guitars have a fuzzy and distorted tone with quite a bit of heft to it, the bass has a rumbly tone to it, and can be heard following the guitars, and the drums actually have a nice sound to them, being quite punchy whenever they're audible. It's the mix that leaves a lot to be desired, specifically during the faster moments, where both the bass guitar and the bass drum get lost and are impossible to hear unless you really strain to do so. Jon's vocals on the other hand are well placed in the mix, his earth-shattering growl a far cry from the raspy vocals he's known for. It thankfully doesn't overpower the rest of the instruments, instead adding to the demo's cavernous atmosphere.
At the end of the day, The Grief Prophecy is a release I would only recommend to two kinds of people: those interested in the band's past, and those who have an affinity for the Finnish death metal sound. Despite me falling into both categories and it being a nice release, I cannot find it in me to call it "essential" by any stretch of the imagination. Go listen to their first two albums, and if you're still thirsting for more Dissection after that, give this a shot.
Highlight: Intro – Severed Into Shreds

Rating: 79% 

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