Immolation - Stepping On Angels... Before Dawn
Review: This collection of early works and demo versions of songs later made classic on the first album shows Immolation developing from an old school death metal/speed metal band to a proto-technical death metal act while simultaneously differentiating the band in concept and image. A glimpse into the mind of this developing musical force is like a cross-section of metal history as concepts develop from variants on known quantities to an evocative voice of will isolated in these individuals.
Known in their early days as Rigor Mortis (no relation to the Texas band), the band moved from punkish songs with pop construction in verse and chorus directness, sounding in many ways similar to Slaughter (Canada) or Master, toward a nihilistic and raw death metal sound applied with a level destructivity blanketing the listener in rapid and antagonistic perceptual tokens. These songs are easily listenable and with minimal pretense, deliver an unformed poetry of the shocked nerves of alienated youth.
1. Relentless Torment (2:09)
2. Holocaust (4:58) 
3. Rigor Mortis (2:26)
4. Warriors of Doom (5:18)
5. Immolation (4:30)
6. Dawn of Possession (3:45)
7. Internal Decadence (3:02)
8. Burial Ground (3:39)
9. Despondent Souls (4:32)
10. Infectious Blood (4:08)
11. Despondent Souls (1990) (4:28)
12. Burial Ground (live) (3:40)
13. Infectious Blood (live) (4:34)
14. Immolation (live) (4:29)
15. Despondent Souls (live) (4:36)
16. Dawn of Possession (live) / Charred Remains (Autopsy cover) / Morbid Visions (Sepultura cover) (11:30)
This musical snapshot shows the primitive version of this rhythmic sense developing, as well as the beginnings of progressive intent in song structure, yet the music lacks the direction later to emerge and is in retrospect indistinguishable from many talented young death metal bands of the era. These can be inspected for clues to the minds of these creators, and many are there: early techniques of linking ideas resemble in the most organic abstract the pieces to come. For a clue to original inspirations, live covers of "Morbid Visions" from Sepultura and "Charred Remains" from Autopsy completes the recording.
The latter part of this release consists of live works of early Immolation and resembles unrefined versions of the second half of the first album. The live works demonstrate the tightness of this band and remain some of the most virulent recordings of these songs yet achieved. Propulsive and ambitious, this compilation shows us a band formulating their attack plans before they managed to forever change the landscape of technique that defines death metal.