Here it is, the debut from one of Canada's best kept death metal secrets. Considered Dead, released in 1991 on Roadrunner Records, a label that, along with Earache Records, helped to break death metal as a viable musical genre, was an impressive release that showed a ton of promise for this young band from Quebec. As the band was still developing their style, the out-and-out technical and complex nature that they would develop on The Erosion of Sanity had yet to fully surface, but Considered Dead is still a brutal affair that is very much inspired by the early recordings of Chuck Schuldiner and his band Death.
In fact, listening to Considered Dead, you can't help but be reminded of the Death albums Scream Bloody Gore and Leprosy, as the lead vocals of Luc Lemay are very similar to Chuck's. Plus, the album was produced by Scott Burns and engineered at Tampa's Morrisound Studios, a place where some of the greatest Florida death metal records were created, including more than a few from Death. That overall vibe permeates songs like "Rottenatomy" and "Stiff and Cold", from the brutal riffing, pounding drum patterns, down to Luc's infernal growls. The title track here is one evil and relentless piece, with undulating riffs and intricate drum beats, and the killer "...And Then Comes Lividity" shows the impressive guitar chops of both Lemay and Sylvain Marcoux. To add more legitimacy from the Florida death metal scene, James Murphy, fresh from his stint in Death, drops in a guitar solo on "Inoculated Life", and Chris Barnes (Six Feet Under, ex-Cannibal Corpse) sings backing vocals on "Bodily Corrupted", "Hematological Allergy", and "Rottenatomy". The band even included a hot instrumental here called "Waste of Mortality", featuring some intricate riffs and rhythms, a sign of what was to come on future albums. Throw in some occasional acoustic guitar and the odd atmospheric passage here and there, you have an impressive debut album from a band that would go on to put together a solid string of albums over the next decade.
As with the rest of Metal Mind Productions reissues of these long lost Roadrunner classics, the one is housed in a nice digipack with lyrics, commentary from Luc Lemay, artwork (gotta love the cover!), and photographs. If you like the legends of the Florida scene, like Death, Morbid Angel, Deicide, Obituary, and Cannibal Corpse, as well as Canada's other technical death metal powerhouse Cryptopsy, any of the Gorguts releases should be on your radar.
Track Listing
1. ...And Then Comes Lividity
2. Stiff and Cold
3. Disincarnated
4. Considered Dead
5. Rottenatomy
6. Bodily Corrupted
7. Waste of Mortality
8. Drifting Remains
9. Hematological Allergy
10. Inoculated Life
11. Considered Dead-bonus track
12. Rottenatomy-bonus track
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