Band:	Burial (NED)
Album:	Relinquished Souls
Style:	Death metal
Release date:	1993
Guest review by:	omne metallum

01. The Second Coming
02. Failure of Technology
03. Traumatized
04. No Existence
05. Abhorence Within
06. Frigid Cold
07. Inner Hostility
08. Untimely Demise
09. Pitiful God

If you are a fan of 90s death metal and are searching for more, then I would direct your attention to Relinquished Souls by Dutch metallers Burial (NED). The band credit Death and Massacre as big influence,s and rather than feeling like a second generation version of their influences, they pick up where both bands left off and produce the proto-sequels to Leprosy and From Beyond. If that has got your attention then hit play as soon as you can.

From the second "The Second Coming" hits, you recognise the classic 90s death metal sound; raw and cold, just like it's supposed to be. The guitars have the razor sharp buzz that delivers riff after riff of quality to cut away the skin and bury itself inside your brain. The drums are echoey but propulsive at the same time and the growls are as harsh as the classics. Producer Andy Classen does a great job at replicating the classic Morrisound vibe on this album.

The guitar work on "Frigid Cold" tips its cap to the work of Chuck Schuldiner; while not as technically proficient as the man, Dees and Verdoorn capture the spirit well without aping their influences. The drum and bass teaming of Van Poecke and Van Drosselaer on their respective instruments manages to create the foundations of the band's sound while also adding to its charm, with intricate drum fills and bass lines that flow to the side of the guitar perfectly. Verdoorn's vocals could be lifted and put onto any Tampa Bay album and fit to a tee, though if I had to give a more accurate description, I would say he strongly reminds me of Dave Hunt of Benediction.

"Failure Of Technology" and "Traumatized" are the highlights of this album, songs where everything congeals perfectly to create two forgotten death metal classics. The song craft is the strong suit of the band; being able to play around the heavy parts while blending in technical proficiently before jumping into the main attack, the songs flow perfectly and never feel forced into place.

The only problem that plagues this album is that Burial (NED) struggle to create their own identity. While it is great to hear the unmade sequels to the classics, they don't carve out their own niche as a band, adding a twist or element that would truly differentiate them. If this doesn't sound like much of a criticism to you, then that is because Relinquished Souls doesn't have that much fault in it; it is a strong album. I would only like to hear the band add something that is theirs to the mix rather than just picking up where others left off.

The sole release by Burial (NED) is a must for any old school death metal fan; it is the album that you didn't know existed but need in your life.