R E V I E W S

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Hi there thrashbrothers It´s great to have you back. I first heard Minotaur 1987 on Teutonic Invasion sampler, there were three bands that Blew me away: Violent Force, Poison (ger) and of course Minotaur. I was amazed by the energy on Planned Head, then I saw Minotaur live in my hometown Uppsala/Sweden January 1988, (Do you remember that gig? It was with Tribulation) I think you guys ruled, you still rule!!! After the Teutonic Invasion Roadrunner released an album by Violent Force (A masterpiece) It´s sad that they didn´t release A Minotaur album. German thrash metal is the best music ever. You guys are as good as Assassin, Violent Force, Darkness, Living Death, Holy Moses, Destruction, Kreator, Destruction, Tankard, Deathrow, Poison, Protector, Accusser etc etc. I hope to see you again, and i hope that you guys will release a new record soon..... Thrash til Death Death to NU warned!!!


27/08/02
Majestic Union Records is releasing a Poison (Germany) CD featuring old eighties demo and MLP recordings
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DEATH SCREAM (US/NY) # 3 1987

POISON- "Into The Abyss"- '87 demo, #4
This is the first proper demo that West Germany's POISON has done. POISON claim to play a very extreme mixture of "ultra-fast + ripping death metal" and "more classical, BLACK SABBATH- inspired doom stuff. That description is more or less appropo. "Into The Abyss" in the band's 4th demo. It has excellent sound quality, an even and heavy production, and it's over 32 minutes long!! The band's past three demon only hinted at the greatness that this band really had, always hidden behind muddy- sound quality: ('84 saw the release of the band's lat demo tape, "Song Of Evil", which featured 11 tracks, very badly recorded. In '85 the band recorded "Bestial Death", which had 5 tracks + 3 "live" tracks. Fortunately, both demo I und II are definitely no longer available. In early '86, the 45-minute, demo 3, "Awakening Of The Dead" was released.)Each of the 4 songs an this tape in over 7 minutes long! "Sphinx" (8:22) begin very much like KREATOR's "Take Their Lives" but the similarity fades an the song goes along, almost sounding like Egyptian death metal (???) in the instrumental bit, of this song. On "Yog-Sothoth" (7:11), Armin Weber does some incredibly heavy growling an the band "marches" along. "Slaves Of The Crucifix" (9:36), begin side two. This song alternates between ultra-fast parts and slow, and much slower ones. "Requiem/Alive Undead" (7:38), ends this long demo in brutal, ultra-fast death fashion. I can't say which track in best because all the Songs RULE!!! POISON has got to be the most "possessed" and "wonderfully chaotic" death-metal band I have heard, yet. Incidentally,
POISON in
Armin Weber (vocals).
Uli Hildenbrand (guitars/lyrics/arranger),
Andy Krampulz (bass),
Alex Gilliar (drums).
Brutality at it's finest!!!- Richard Casale - (Thanks to: Demon666 from Old-School Demo Resource for This Article).
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R.U. DEAD? Completely Dead (Majestic Union Records / Sempiternal Productions) 68:55min One thing I like are complete CD compendiums of a band’s career, and "Completely Dead" is almost one. Kicking off this deathrashing collection is the criminally underrated "A Thought Before the Kill" 12”. As my gushing review of it in Snakepit #4 reflects, I consider this stuff to have been as good as ‘90s Thrash Metal got, and these three tracks alone are worth the price of the disc. Also included is the whole of the "Nothing Will Be Forgiven" MCD from 1995, the "Hypnos" 7” single of 1992, a couple of well-chosen demo tracks, and the previously unreleased 'Ninety-Six', recorded shortly before their split-up. Paying tribute to Uli’s roots in POISON are reworked versions of 'Yog-Sothoth', here as the demo track 'Omega / Insane Gods' and 'Alive Undead' as 'Mind Funeral / Lurking Fear'. In no way do these revisions replace the original tracks recorded by POISON, but they do provide an excellent historical frame of reference for the rest of R.U. DEAD?’s career. And if you’re one of those wimps who didn’t like or never heard POISON, just crawl back into your Nu-Metal hole and stay there. It must be said however that elements of the layout seem to have been overlooked. The track listing on the back is incomplete - and a couple of tracks are in the wrong order. To compound this, the song order for "Nothing…" was changed for some mysterious reason, disrupting the flow that some of us were used to. Still, the booklet is a neat little affair which includes a concise biography of the band, artwork from previous releases, lyrics and photos of their various incarnations. Great stuff. But even more mystifying than the juggled track listing are some of the less than complimentary reviews I’ve seen of this band through the years. So much today is focused on “old school” bands; reformations, re-releases, tours with half the original members, bootlegged commemorative shirts and badges are commonplace, and every new band under the sun praises the “ancient ones” to the skies. Fair enough. Well achtung kiddies, R.U. DEAD? deserves this sort of respect as well. Contact: stef@majesticunion.de Charles Keller
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METAL WARRIORS (GER) # 4 1987
POISON
Holy Shit! I didn't expect too much when I received another demo from Germany's POISON. I mean, their first demo was the worst recording that was ever done an earth (that's not really right; the BLOOD demo is miles worser!), and their next 2 demos were better, but still nothing special. But this 4th demo surprised me totally! It's a studio recording and features 4 tracks with a total playing time of 32.06 minutes! And the tracks "Shpinx" (featured an the "Teutonic Invasion" comp. album), Yog-Sothoth, "Slaves (of the Crucifix)" and "Requiem/Alive (Undead)" (also an demo 2 + 3) are a mixture of hardest Thrash and Doom Metal. And it fuckin' kills, I tell you! I like them all, but my total fave is that neck breaker called "Slaves (of the Crucifix)"! Only the Solos must be improved, but no doubt about it, this demo will bring in a record deal, I'm sure! Get this tape, which is a must for every Thrash freak. Send DM 10 / $ 5 to Uli Hildenbrand, Biberacherstr. 58, 7958 Laupheim 1, West Germany. I promise you a POISON interview for the next issue! - Rüdiger Schmitz - (Thanks to: Demon666 from Old-School Demo Resource for This Article).
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PUTREFYING MASS (NL) No. 2 1993 

POISON

 "Into The Abyss"

12inch Be cursed you trend -
sinners, may your souls not find any peace!!!!! With this godly release finally the German POISON is able to take away all you peacel!!!1 For all those trendy black / death metal 'dickheads' were still does not burn a black flame in their mind, fuck yourself and take a shower in holy water, keep your dirty hands from this cult-release! The legendary cult-act, which made the European wastelands unsafe back in the middle of the dark '80-s has finally been able to release their more than justified debut vinyl an the Belgian MIDIAN CREATIONS!!! Packed with tons of bullet-belts, chains, spikes and other attributes these guys were dominating the underground back than along with the TRUE black metal force, which I don't have to mention here!! To reward their sacrilegious and worthy existence, Wim Baelus re-released their last demo an vinyl!! Refreshing remastered, no bootleg-crap!!!!!! The unjustice has been cleared and another ancient terror formation is able to prove how awesome they played back then!! Pure blackness and impurity, no wimp shit!! Every TRUE black metal worshipper should get an orgasm with this excellent stuff, don' dare to miss this masterpiece!! - Wilbert Manders - (Thanks to: Demon666 from Old-School Demo Resource for This Article).
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Review in the Agonia Magazine 

Poison-Sons of Evil demo 1985 Since records by the German Poison are next to impossible to locate these days, all I can muster is a review of Sons of Evil, a low-budget demonstration tape containing eleven songs from 1985. Poison never did become a popular band, since they were not skillful musicians like those in the first rung of German thrash. Poison firmly clutch the third rung realm of obscurity deservedly, since their music is an odd hybrid of less-than-competent punk and garage rock-sounding German-esque metal. Though they tried to attain the status of "superior pseudo-Satanic thrash band" with songs like "Angel of Satan," "Legions of Evil," and "Leather and Metal" (Venom, anyone?), they did not succeed. Poison are one of those unfortunate bands whose presence has faded into the void of forgotten metal and whose existence no longer matters to anyone. Apart from seeing one thirty-something man wearing a Poison Out of the Abyss t-shirt at a black metal show in New York a few years back, I have never heard anyone even mention this band in mere conversation. Sad.
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Review in the Agonia Magazine 

R.U.Dead? "...Completely Dead"
(Majestic Union Records/Sepiternal Productions)
This is purest piece of kult which has already gone but remained too... Just on this CD with unique releases of German '90s extreme metal legend: R.U.Dead?: a history, not too large colletion of recordings but almost limited and unique ones... The band starts in early '90s with appearance of previous legendary German Poison guitarist Uli. After whole years of band's existenece it gained proper marks, points and acknowledgement also in press: official and underground. Significant titles in career of the band became given resource Majestic Union Records - such like band's kult MLP or latest official release the MCD with "higly aggressive and diverse Death/Thrash in the vein of Slayer with totally extreme vocals and very compact production". In one word it's a metal of legend and legend of metal. This unique CD contains complete history of the band in wide booklet with rare pics, covers of all releases from R.U.Dead? and above all above 70 minutes - 12 tracks - from all rarest recordings of the band including unrealased promo-track '98. It's not just collector's item, indeed!!!
 stef@majesticunion.de
 
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R.U.DEAD? - ...COMPLETELY DEAD. - MAJESTIC UNION 

From Metallina.com (Heavy Metal Betther Than Music)
Any underground maven worth his salt knows R.U. Dead? is a dead and buried band from southern Germany which kicked around the underground for most of the nineties. The album at hand is essentially Majestic Union's tribute to the band comprising demo, vinyl and MCD material from the act. Covering music composed over the span of a decade, ...Completely Dead is decidedly uneven. The closest comparison is probably Deceased or Terrible Certainty-era Kreator with the Germans combing a purée of death, thrash and doom into something sufficiently their own. Several very good riffs stand next to weaker moments, yet the ambience is clearly subterranean throughout. Chalk me down as an ambivalent one: metal historians and underground mavens might be interested; the average casual metal fan though can disregard. By the way, great play on words in the title!

R.U.DEAD? A Thought Before The Kill 12' (Schãdel Prod./Majestic Union Rac.)If ever there was an example of real Thrash / Death Metal for the 1990's, this is it. After the brilliant 1995 MCD "Nothing Will 0e Forgiven", R.U.DEAD7 returns with "A Thought Before The Kill/" 12", and not a moment too soon! In a scene that has become so acrimonious and self-righteous, R.U. DEAD? retains the age old Thrash Metal values of no pretense, no blast beats, no gimmicks; and delivers twelve inches of uncompromising end utterly devastating Thrash. Several things about this 12" leap out at you immediately. First of all R.U. DEAD? knows how to write songs. They don't just string riffs together like the Death Metal riff parade we've been subjected to over the last seven or eight years. R.U.DEAD7 actually sculpts their songs; each has a definite direction and purpose. Second, each song has its own personality. Most bands today record entire albums where each song sounds exactly like the one before, making that album the aural equivalent of a possessed cement mixer with either Donald Duck or King Kong on vocals. Its "One Past Zero", do you know what kind of effect that is on Gero's vocals? I Brilliant. Finally, these songs are very catchy, the type of songs that will rattle around in your head all day. Listen to the second riff in "Profession Of Faith' for proof positive. The only downside to this 12" is the bizarre cover art which just isn't as appropriate as the art on "Nothing Will Be Forgiven' was. BUT, all things considered, if you don't have s turn table (where have you beenl7) I can think of no better reason to go buy one than this maxi. "A Thought Before The Kill is a release you'll still be listening to ten years from now, so just imagine how furious you'll be at yourself that you didn't get a copy when you had the chance. Put down the magazine for a moment and send $12 to: Majestic Union Records, Graf-Heinrich-Str. 5, D-66687 Kaisheim, Germany Chuck Keller

R.U. DEAD? Nothing will be forgiven MCD (Flugschadel Records/self financed) R.U.DEAD? have finally reformed! But instead of releasing another demo, they came up with a mini-cd instead which is a pretty nice idea, if you ask me. cause it looks and sounds a lot more professional There's four new tracts on it. featuring the returned ex-guitarist Gero on vocal now! Musically R.U. DEAD? stayed true to their style at the past, which means you will still hear a very intense mixture of doom, death and thrash metal in the old tradition. This is almost like POISON on a lot higher musical level!! So, if you liked them in the past. you will also enjoy them nowadays! Sells for 15. DM (ppd.) from the band or Morbid Records. But now it's time to read the interview. don't you think?! Frank Stover

R.U. DEAD? Completely Dead (Majestic Union)This new issue would be incomplete without mentioning that release considering how much R.U. DEAD? were way way ahead in the Death/ Thrash Metal realm. Just like: Chuck Keller ex-pressed it so perfectly in Snakepit a few issue back (funy that his and Frank's reviews were the only ones used in the booklet!), these guys knew how t6"write devastating catchy Metal tunes the way it was originally meant to be back in the early days as opposed to the bunch of noisy garbage that goes nowhere delivered by the majority of the Death/ Thrash acts since the late '80s. In fact it's not so surprising considering that guitarist Uli Hildebrand was originally in German's own POISON ("Into The Abyss" '86 demo still remains a major masterpiece along with the first SODOM EP and LP, first DESTRUCTION EP and LP and first two KREATOR albums) before forming R.U. DEAD? with Gero Schmidtt in the late '80´s"... Completely Dead" is a sort of "best of" release as it features tracks from the early two demos, the famous 7", the killer MCD, the shredding 12" and a track from the '98 promo tape which was never released. The stuff just smokes from A to Z, killer songwriting all the way that grabs you by the balls. II' you guys love Death/ Thrash material delivered the old way, get this because this is the REAL thing and it let me wondering once again why this godly act was never signed at a time average/ boring acts such as MONSTROSITY, UNLEASHED, IMMOLATION or whatever were getting deals...it really makes you wonder about the ability of certain A&R people to sign the right bands, huh?!
 Label
contact Majestic Union-Graf Heinrich Str.5- 86687 Kaisheim- Germany .
E-mail: stef@majesticunion.
de Laurent Ramadier.
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Hard Rock - 1985
POISON

Keine Unbekannten mehr im Untergrund sind POISON, die zuvor mit drei mehr ader minder guten Demos ( die ich allerdings nicht kenne ) den Death + Doom-Thrashern eingeheizt haben. Vom letzten Tape konnten POISON sogar an die 300 Kopien verkaufen und wohl vor allem jenseits des Atlantik ( nãmlich im United Thrashland ) wird die Begeiste-rung grob gewesen sein. Das neve Demo mlt dern Titel "Into The Abyss' ist In ten, wenn auch nicht brillianten Sound. Auf ca. 30 Minuten gibt´s immerhin vier ( ! ) Songs zu horen, die man am besten mit Candlemass/Trouble ( lang-same Passagen ) und den alten Destruction ( schnelle Passagen ) vergleichen kann. Das gibt insgesamt ein Interessan-tes Wechselspielchen, das uns dazu be-wogen hat einen der Tracks, namlich den Opener "Sphinx", auf den ROCK HARD-Sampler "Teutonic Invasion" zu nehmen, wie ihr schon Im letzten Heft lesen konntet. Auf die Reaktionen slnd wir jetzt schon gespannt I POISON sind auf jeden Fall für Doom/Deathmetal-Fans ein absolutes Mub und wer sich hler angesprochen fühlt, sollte nicht zögern und dae Demo., welahes- woes Mie drel Tite:I "Yog-Sothoth"., ":Slaves of The Cru-cifix" und "Requiem/Alive (Undead) " enthalt, für DM 10.- ($5.-) bestellen bei: Uli Hildenbrand,
Biberacherstr. 58, 7958 Laupheim. Holger
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Japan Magazine 1986
POISON (W. Germany) - '86 demo "Into The Abyss"

POISON, W.German's death metal band, was at last recorded their 4th studio demo intitled "Into The Abyss". Well, this demo is the best one I've ever been recieved from them!! I waS.loving 'them from old times and I really wanted to listen a better recorded one. Yes, this demo's sound quality is pretty good!! And all of the 4 trax are fuckin' god!! Many breaks and time changes, plus all trax are over 7 mins!! Great!! Anyway I love POISON and this killer demo should be listened by all death metal freaks, I really think soll' Check it out!! (Koji) POISON c/o Uli Hildenbrand, Biberacher-str. 58, 7958 Iaupheim 1, W.Germanv

Kerrang PoisonA More pleasant surprise came, in the form of the fourth demo from Germany's Poison, yet another Teutonic Death Metal act 'who have released a striing of non-produced, nearly unlistenabe tapes. The new one, however, was recorded in a studio and sounds fairly decent, with four long, heavy, and powerful songs taking up nearly 30 minutes of playing time. I t's tradiitional German Death Metal that Poison are finally proving that they can play end record in a professional manner. Good stuff! It's available for five US dollars from Poison, c/o Uli Hildenbrand, Biberacherstr. 58, 7958 Laupheim 1, Wet Germany, called "Into The Abyss" , it ciome with a sleeve, lyrics and band info.

Into The Abyss - Studio DemoWhen I recieved this demo I was highly impressed.I am still surprised that many people only know of the glam Poison (an absolute abomination), and not the German band of the same name.This band plays death core similiar to what death metal was 2 or 3 years ago.This tape is heavy,with some riffs akined,but not cloned,to Trouble,or perhaps old Sabbath.There are also stretches of speeded riffs much reminisent of Bathory's first. The tape starts with the very heavy Sphinx, kicked through at a constant, moderatly fast pace,slowing only for the chorus.This is an excellent track,and is the most memorable (though perhaps not the best). Following Sphinx is Yog-Sothoth. This is a very good track. It is a little slower than Sphinx Slaves(of the Crucirix) is the next song starting with a slightly chaotic, but enjoyable beginning and continues with smoothly changing speeds and riffs,making it one of the more enjoyable tracks(along with Sphinx). Next is Requiem-Alive(Undead). Requiem starts with a Gothic-sounding, acoustic intro, soon erupting into a fiery thrash song.It manages to keep it's speed(or at least it's grind) through to the end.Though it is my least favorite it is agood song.

----HI SATANIACS!!!!----
In INFO IV,you can find a few examples of tne reviews
POISON received ror their "SONS of EVIL"- demo. But although the response has been very good(as you can see),the band was never really satisfied with thne tape; mainly because or the bad sound quality. But finally (in Septemter) they had the possibility to record a new, proressionaJ. demo.Conditions were
FUCKING bad again POISON had, ior example, about 4 hours time to record the whole thing), but in spite or that, they did a pretty goog job;

– – – – "BESTIAL DEATH" – – –
The tape was recorded on four tracks (one track bass, one track vocals etc.). For this reason. The sound is(of course)still not perfect (for example, the drum-sound is too weak), but all in all, the result sounds ratner good. The demo contains five trax+one "efect-intro". The music material is hntirely new, every song snows the emprovement tee band has made, more SPEED, more variation, higner tecnnical. standard but abso1utely NO loss or heavieness! SO GET THE NEW POISON-DEMO FOR 10 DM/5 US-$ (inci.p&p) AT THE NEW ADDRESS OF THE BAND: Uli Hillenbrand Biberacherstr.58 7958
LAUPHEIM
 ---W-GERMANY----

Poison In Metal Made in German (2005)
POISON 

werden 1982 von "Virgin Slaughter" Weber (v),
Uli "Angel of Death" Hildenbrand (g),
"`Incubus Demon" Krampe (b)
und Alex "Witchhammer" Gilliar (d)
gegründet. 1984 veröffentlicht man das
Demo "Sons Of Evil".
 Es folgen die Demos
 "Bestial Death" (1985),
Awakening Of The Dead" (1986)
und Into The Abyss (1987).
Das Stück "Sphinx" erscheint auf dem Sampler Teutonic-Invasion Part 1.
1993 wird Into The Abyss von Midian Creations als EP herausgegeben.

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