[We are back with the main-event metal shows that distinguish SATAN MADE ME DO IT, but that’s not all we’re doing. While preparing our comeback, we tried our hand at music reviews and are not just about to stop. We are an organization (.org) after all. We got HR, Marketing, Talent Relations and are excited to announce a brand new division: an Editorial Team. SATAN MADE ME DO IT’s commitment to forward thinking, in spite of our destructive nature, will hopefully keep us on the path of growth and enable us to exploit other operational synergies.

We go for old and new releases, hi-fi, lo-fi and everything in between and the only rule is that it’s got to be METAL!]

Hadez (PER) | Guerreros de la muerte [Demo], 1988

Recorded on a Sanyo tape recorder, in the guitar player’s bedroom, in 1988, “Guerreros de la muerte” from the then three-piece band Hadez is a superb specimen of Peruvian death metal and all-around inventiveness in extreme musical affairs. This isn’t just noisy: it’s a goddamn racket with a hell of an attitude to boot. That’s the keyword for today, actually – attitude.

In a country plagued by internal conflict and terrorism for close to 40 years now, Hadez emerges with a remarkable disinterest for domestic policy. Bangers tried and true, Hadez found their common interests in noise, feeding on tapes and used LPs ranging from Led Zeppelin and Judas Priest, to Sepultura, Kreator and Sodom.

Looking at the 1988 demo’s track list, it’s hard to imagine a more old-school death metal approach. Titles like “La diosa del averno” (The goddess of winter), “Angel exterminador” (Angel terminator) and the title track “Guerreros de la muerte” (Warriors of death) are no more or less politically aware than anything on “In the Sign of Evil” or “Endless Pain”. If there’s a goal here, it’s to make a real mess and have a blast in the process. Though impacting the entire scene in the country must have felt equally good.

I know I’m imagining things when the opener finds me singing verses like “Deep in the coffin, death prevails” from Slaughter’s “F.O.D.”, but it’s hard to argue that, once things start to pick up, those three young Peruvians have Sodom pumping in their veins, down to the crazy(-ier) drums and puking vocals.

It’s not too farfetched to believe that, at this point in time, Hadez had heard about Sarcófago as well. In an interview from four years ago, the founding member and former Hadez drummer, Toñín Destructor, mentioned that, back in the 80s, they would get stuff from Brazil before listening to North American or European bands. Considering the impact Sarcófago had (still does…) and just listening to some of the sudden eruptions of energy here, it’s safe to say Hadez were fans.

That doesn’t change the fact that the second song kicks-off with a combination straight out of Hellhammer. It just means that Hadez combined a very South American way of being metal (meaning: extremely primitive) with some slower – perhaps more “European” – parts for good measure.

The thing I really like about Hadez (besides the even more busted Slayer-like solos) is that they know that after a really fast and intense part, dropping to a mid-pace does wonders in making a song a lot, well, cooler. Unless you’re doing short tracks, bursts of violence proper, it’s definitely not advisable to go really fast all the time. Considering how young they must have been when they recorded “Guerrero de la muerte”, the songwriting here is fantastic. No wonder Deathlike Silence Productions tried to sign a record deal with the band back then.

Ideal for musicians trying to shove their technique up the ass.

The “Guerreros de la muerte” demo, along with their three following tapes, were released on vinyl in 2012 via a compilation called “Guerreros de la muerte” released by Nuclear War Now! Productions.

Past reviews

– 666 (CZE) | Nekrofilie, 1983