Review by Fernando on October 28, 2020.

I first became aware of Korgonthurus co-founded by Kryth and Corvus by coming across their sophomore record and was pleasantly surprised enough to check their back catalogue and then be on the lookout for their newest album. Anyway, the band’s debut album Marras was recently reissued and fully remastered by their label Woodcut Records and given how much I’ve enjoyed this band’s work so far I knew I had to check their album now that’s been made more widely available. For the sake of getting the full picture I also heard the original version of the album on YouTube and it was a fascinating experience to say the least.

Marras as a whole was a major achievement in the development of the band. Their first handful of releases where very much Finnish black metal, very raw and very aggressive which as they progressed became more atmospheric and the aggression evolved into somber anguish. This debut album was a culmination of the band’s early development with only two tracks and the runtime that clocks at under forty minutes the band make that time count. Despite the massive length of the tracks and the focus on a relentlessly dreadful and desolate atmosphere the sound of the original version was very raw and very unpolished. What’s interesting is the context in which this album was released, as the mid to late 2000’s in black metal was marked by atmospheric black metal and the now maligned term “DSBM” aka depressive suicidal black metal. I bring this up because Marras even during that time is an anomaly. At first glance the album could be considered “atmospheric” black metal album and even DSBM but that’s just scratching the surface. What’s worth noting is how the band succeeded in retaining the hateful aggression of traditional Finnish black metal, while experimenting with a depressive atmosphere, and at no point does it feel disjointed.

This careful balance of both anger and sorrow is achieved through the guitarwork of both Corvus and Kryth. Unlike standard atmospheric black metal and DSBM, the guitars dominate the sound. For example the first song 'Marraskyyneleet' is carried through variations of two riffs across its 22 minute length. Starting slow with a single distorted and sorrowful guitar melody, then changing to a chaotic mid-tempo riff which is enhanced by Kryth’s drumming, before Corvus takes the lead with his blood chilling shrieks and it organical transitions into pure atmospherics completed with Corvus’ echoing wailing. The second and last song 'Mustan Usvan Kohdussa' follows a similar feel and composition but it’s a bit faster and aggressive, where the atmospherics open and close the track, a fitting way to conclude the album, all in all.

That being said, since the band has remastered the record, there’s an interesting contrast between the original release and this reissue. As I mentioned before, the original album had a very raw sound, some would even say that the original mix was nearly unlistenable, which given how overwhelming the music was isn’t completely unreasonable. That brings me to the remastered reissue. It's actually a really good reissue overall and the songs still retain all the good qualities of the performances. Another good aspect is that the remaster isn’t devoid of grime and grit. Henri Sorvali of Moonsorrow fame was able to clean up the rawness without removing the darkness and anguish of the sound, but there’s two major shortcomings on this version. Firstly there’s the sound itself; despite being the same songs the remastering significantly changed the sound and it almost feels like the band re-recorded the album from scratch, which somewhat is the case. Kryth in the remaster’s description stated that the album was fully remixed and remastered from the original recordings, (while also retroactively bashing how the original album came out) and added keyboards to enhance the atmosphere. While the album is now more in line with how he wanted it to be now that he has the resources, the final product is a completely new work.

Overall this is a great album but there’s now two distinct versions of the same record with stark differences. The original version could be considered both an artistic compromise due to lack of resources on the band’s part, but it also sounds more genuine. The remaster on the other hand is a more complete work and the band’s fully realized vision, but it does feel like a remake of sorts, the experience is much different, although for me it’s a different situation since I listened to both versions back to back. In the end it will be a matter of personal preference between rawness and polish.

Rating: 8.2 out of 10

Review by Tobias on November 24, 2001.

Ok Grind-Gore-Core fans, you won’t have to listen too closely because you can hear these monsters a mile away. Any fan of DeathVomit Records will probably be a fan of this album. I feel I can safely say that because while not being a fan of the typically unoriginal genre, I feel that this disc brings some very unexpected elements to remove us from the more mediocre sounds that wrap around the universal speedy gore-beat.

Spreading medical terms like vomit topping on a shit-sandwich, the vocals exist on some hellish plane of low that manages to outdo the deepest guttural utterances of a two-ton boar in a feeding frenzy. At times you get teased with a whiplash of a black-metal scream, for which I hunger a little more on this disc.

One of the funniest things that the vocalist does on the disc is on a live track when introducing the one of the songs is that he growls the title of the song, (perhaps not) expecting everyone to understand Pedophilamorphia Of Exchreacholemical Endolapse.

There’s really nothing wrong with the guitars and rhythm section, but there’s really nothing too special about them either. It’s mostly in the form of samples and electronics that the most original elements in a genre like this shine up the brutally sick music as with tracks like Crevice Flux Warts. However, to their credit there are tracks like Haemorph Endarteriectomized Punzed Eozinophile and my favorite live track In The Acro Cyanotic Post Cloning Ectopysm, that the musicians get a strong flavor for originality going.

There were times on the album, some on the live tracks and some on the studio where a better mixing job could’ve been done, particularly with the snare drum. But overall, I was quite impressed with how well the live tracks turned out.

Oh, and then there’s the, ah… how shall we say it? “Artwork”, yes, that’ll do. This is without a doubt the most gruesome artwork ever printed on a CD sleeve. If you haven’t seen it, it’s an emaciated looking stillborn child protruding halfway from a very bloody vagina. I think it’s quite representative of the gore-fest beatings this disc delivers.

Bottom Line: Gore-heads should grab this one and hold on really freakin’ tight, stomachs will be churning. We just need some more of those original elements.

Categorical Rating Breakdown…
Musicianship: 6
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 6
Originality: 8
Overall: 9

Rating: 7.2 of 10

Review by Tobias on November 24, 2001.

Ok Grind-Gore-Core fans, you won’t have to listen too closely because you can hear these monsters a mile away. Any fan of DeathVomit Records will probably be a fan of this album. I feel I can safely say that because while not being a fan of the typically unoriginal genre, I feel that this disc brings some very unexpected elements to remove us from the more mediocre sounds that wrap around the universal speedy gore-beat.

Spreading medical terms like vomit topping on a shit-sandwich, the vocals exist on some hellish plane of low that manages to outdo the deepest guttural utterances of a two-ton boar in a feeding frenzy. At times you get teased with a whiplash of a black-metal scream, for which I hunger a little more on this disc.

One of the funniest things that the vocalist does on the disc is on a live track when introducing the one of the songs is that he growls the title of the song, (perhaps not) expecting everyone to understand Pedophilamorphia Of Exchreacholemical Endolapse.

There’s really nothing wrong with the guitars and rhythm section, but there’s really nothing too special about them either. It’s mostly in the form of samples and electronics that the most original elements in a genre like this shine up the brutally sick music as with tracks like Crevice Flux Warts. However, to their credit there are tracks like Haemorph Endarteriectomized Punzed Eozinophile and my favorite live track In The Acro Cyanotic Post Cloning Ectopysm, that the musicians get a strong flavor for originality going.

There were times on the album, some on the live tracks and some on the studio where a better mixing job could’ve been done, particularly with the snare drum. But overall, I was quite impressed with how well the live tracks turned out.

Oh, and then there’s the, ah… how shall we say it? “Artwork”, yes, that’ll do. This is without a doubt the most gruesome artwork ever printed on a CD sleeve. If you haven’t seen it, it’s an emaciated looking stillborn child protruding halfway from a very bloody vagina. I think it’s quite representative of the gore-fest beatings this disc delivers.

Bottom Line: Gore-heads should grab this one and hold on really freakin’ tight, stomachs will be churning. We just need some more of those original elements.

Categorical Rating Breakdown…
Musicianship: 6
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 6
Originality: 8
Overall: 9

Rating: 7.2 of 10