PRIVILEGE OF EVIL

"Privilege of Evil" is an EP release by Finnish death metal act Amorphis. The EP was released through Relapse Records in December 1993. The 6 tracks on the EP were already recorded in May 1991, before the recording sessions for the band´s debut full-length studio album "The Karelian Isthmus" (Relapse Records, November 1992) and were originally intended to be featured on a split with US, New York based death metal act Incantation. That split release never materialized though and 4 out of the 6 tracks on the EP were later re-arranged and re-recorded for "The Karelian Isthmus (1992)" album. "Vulgar Necrolatry" and "Misery Path" were already released as a single in June 1991, but appear here in the exact same versions.

The music on the EP is old school Scandinavian death metal. The vocals are brutal and raw and there are very few traces of the Nordic ethnic melodic lead guitar themes that would earn the band such great success just a few years later. While this isn´t old school Swedish death metal, it´s the death metal style that the music on the EP is mostly comparable to. "Privilege of Evil" has a coldness to it that is greatly enjoyable and while the tracks aren´t exactly adventurous there are still enough details and changes in the songs to keep them entertaining throughout. The quality of the musicianship is surprisingly high and the tracks are generally very well performed. The sound production suits the music well and while it´s raw and cold, it´s also detailed and well sounding.

So overall "Privilege of Evil" is a strong release by Amorphis and I fully understand why the band/label opted to release the EP a couple of years after it was originally shelved. Already this early on in Amorphis career you could hear the immense musical talent of the band. "Privilege of Evil" isn´t necessarily recommendable to fans of the band´s later output though. Old school death metal fans are the target group here. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).