Wznowienie PHLEGETHON

 

PHLEGETHON was one of the pioneering bands in the resurgence of Finnish Death Metal in the late 80's. Formed in 1988 when its members were barely 14 years old, the band quickly demonstrated their great potential with the release of their first demo “Visio Dei Beatifica” in 1989, followed by their masterpiece second demo “Neutral Forest” in 1990.

In 1991 the band released the EP “Fresco Lungs” through the Swiss label Witchhunt Records, which contained 4 tracks running around 30 minutes in its vinyl edition. However, the CD version included 2 additional tracks from the same recording session, extending the total running time to about 40 minutes, making it difficult to determine whether it should truly be considered an EP or a full-length album.

After this release, the band entered a period of low activity until 1995, when they recorded a 3-track demo simply titled “Promo 1995”, where their style had shifted toward the more Death’n’Roll-oriented sound that was prevalent in the scene at that time. Shortly afterwards, the band went inactive again for more than a decade.

In 2006 PHLEGETHON resurfaced with guitarist Lasse Pyykkö handling almost all instruments except drums, recording the 4-track demo “Totems Within”. The style returned to their early roots but with a stronger Death/ Thrash edge, still sounding incredibly intense. The following year, in 2007, another 2-track demo titled “Lava Poetry” was released, followed in 2008 by a final demo track, bringing the journey of PHLEGETHON to an end. By then, Lasse Pyykkö had already started a new band called HOODED MENACE in 2007 and decided to focus his efforts on that project, which eventually gained significant recognition within the Death/ Doom scene.

The compilation “Drifting in the Crypts” was originally released in 2010 and quickly sold out, remaining out of circulation for about 15 years. The time has now come for its long overdue reissue. This new edition features an excellent and completely renewed layout designed by Lasse Pyykkö himself, including photos, flyers, band notes, and additional material.

This double CD compiles all recordings made between 1989 and 2008. It includes their six demos ('89/ '90/ '95/ '06/ '07/ '08), as well as the mini-LP “Fresco Lungs” (1991) with its two bonus tracks. A total of 26 songs that together form a true gem of Finnish Death Metal.