Vacuum [nor] - Digest of Dreams demo 1994
1) Cosmos
2) Deep in the Sea of Grief
3) Epitomized
Depositfiles / Yandex
Let's do another Norwegian item and in somewhat similar vein to our previous offering. Here, courtesy of the detective work performed by brother Emptiness Cycle, is finally the long-sought 1994 demo "Digest of Dreams" by Vacuum which you may remember from the Sverd Storm II compilation I posted in 2011. I've been after the damned thing for 20 years but not apparently hard enough, considering how easily EC acquired it! Well, not sure if easily but rather quickly anyways. Thanks again for doing the legwork! He had contacted a former member of the band who provided a master rip of the demo (and some other stuff, we return to them at later date) for our nefarious purposes. No cover scans unfortunately but at least the music is at last available.
Three tracks, the second one being already familiar from the compilation tape and all are full "proper" songs. General feeling is a bit more on the trippy and slightly experimental side rather than desolate doom and gloom of many peers worldwide at the time. Sound is good, I'd say and mostly very clear. There is a temporary quality shift on the second song which might be a little disconcerting to more tender listeners, but nothing really drastic. Main voice is the gruff yell familiar from the sampler presentation, much more melodious and singsongy than usual takes one tends to encounter. There are some passages which remind me of what Katatonia was shifting to at the time. Music, not the vocals, mind you. A few slightly silly bits too, like the synth hit around two minutes into the last song, perfect for striking a pose. EDIT: How did I manage to not mention the abrupt ending? Well, I did. So, the last track ends very, very abruptly which brother EC had also noticed and apparently "he's adamant that its how its meant to be" (the contributor that is) so it's an odd artistic choice then. Overall I can't say I'd be dissappointed after my excessive wait, have a listen if Norwegian non-black metal items of the 90's interest you at all!
Not bad at all, especially considering you waited 20 years to hear this demo. The acoustic interludes are surprisingly long and numerous within each song, but they're well-done and evoke imagery of stars twinkling in the sky above a dark, vast ocean. Although the last acoustic section before the end in "Cosmos" sounds kind of proggy and out of place. I assume you're also aware the last song ends early and abruptly?
VastaaPoistaNot quite a keeper for me, but it's a good listen. Thanks to Emptiness Cycle and the former member of the band for the rip, and to you for sharing it here.
@Rhun:
VastaaPoistaYup, I am aware of the ending... and can't believe I forgot to mention about it on the blog entry! I mentioned it to EC and he said that "he's adamant that its how its meant to be" so apparently the drive-into-wall ending is an artistic choice.
No problem guys, felt it was a better match for the coven rather than yesteryear
VastaaPoistaFunny that I had to come heere to listen to this again. Rune (vocalist) from Vacuum here. Very good blog with a lot of obscure and historical content. :)
VastaaPoista@Rune:
VastaaPoistaHey there, good to "see" you here! I take it you do not have this yourself any more if you had to employ our services? I'm still missing the cover scans for it. And would actually like an original copy but don't see that landing on my lap, seeing that it really took me more than 20 years to finally hear the thing!
Anyways, thanks for the compliments. Did you sing in any other band besides Vacuum?
I played with a few other bands during the early 90's but Vacuum was the only thing that was recorded (it wasn't easy or cheap to get stuff recorded back then). I haven't owned a taåe-deck in many years, and all my tapes are stashed away somewhere, so I don't actually know if the Vacuum demo is still lying around somewhere. What I do know, is that the last track is cut short. It's not supposed to stop that abruptly. As for the history of the band, this was the only real recording we did, the drummer ended up in Atrox amd the bassplayer in Bloodthorn. I can't probise you a copy of the demo, but I'll do some digging and see if I can't at least get you a scan of the cover.
VastaaPoista@Rune:
VastaaPoistaThanks, I'd really appreciate that! Damn it, I feared it was cut short. Any idea how much it's missing?
Hmm, both Atrox and Bloodthorn are familiar bands though I don't think I have anything from A. or actually even remember how they sounded like. Well, there's something to check out again. Thanks for the infos!