AFFLICTED beyond redemption - demos & eps 1989-1992 19658784701

Swedish Death Metal History: Afflicted’s ‘Beyond Redemption’ (19658784701)

Today’s entry is a massive archival collection documenting the evolution of one of Sweden’s most unique metal bands. We are examining the 2023 triple-vinyl compilation Beyond Redemption (Demos & EPs 1989 – 1992) by Afflicted, released on Century Media with the catalog number 19658784701.

From Grindcore to Avant-Garde

This comprehensive set chronicles the band’s rapid musical metamorphosis over just three years. Spanning three records, it begins with their earliest recordings under the name Afflicted Convulsion, where they played a raw, chaotic style of grindcore and death metal on demos like Toxic Existence (1989). As the tracklist progresses, listeners can hear the shift to the name Afflicted and the development of the technical, psychedelic, and progressive death metal sound that would define their cult classic debut album, Prodigal Sun. The collection includes the Beyond Redemption and The Odious Reflection demos, as well as the Ingrained and Rising To The Sun EPs. It even includes their cover of Venom’s “7 Gates Of Hell.”

Audiophile Restoration

Great care was taken to restore these lo-fi recordings. The audio was remastered by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony, an engineer renowned in the metal community for his faithful and dynamic restorations of vintage extreme metal. The music is pressed on heavyweight 180-gram black vinyl, ensuring a substantial feel and stable playback. The lacquer cutting was handled at Optimal Media in Germany, indicated by the “HL” signature in the runouts.

Deluxe Packaging

The presentation is fitting for a historical document. The three LPs are housed in a high-quality gatefold sleeve. The set includes a 12-inch booklet, providing context to the recordings, likely featuring photos and notes from the era. A hype sticker is affixed to the outer plastic foil, detailing the extensive contents.