Root – “Dema” – [Lawn Productions]

Czech Venom/Bathory/Celtic Frost fans who, alongside such countrymen as the at-one-point-mighty Master’s Hammer, and perhaps unwittingly, presaged the second wave of Black Metal. This 2003 double-CD compiles their first four demos: ‘Reap of Hell’ (t.1.1-1.5, 1988), ‘War of Rats’ (1.6-1.10, 1988), ‘Messengers from Darkness’ (1.11-1.20, 1989) and ‘The Trial’ (2.1-2.8, 1989). Also included is a live set (2.9-2.13) that originally appeared on 1988′s ‘Death Metal Session,’ a split with 5 other Czech metal bands. Stable lineup on first two demos. Guitarist changes on third demo, then changes again on the fourth along with the drummer and vocalist, as ‘Big Boss’ replaces ‘Mr. Fe’ as vocalist, ceding the kit to ‘Mr. Black Drum.’ Both guitarists would change again before Root recorded their debut album, and you can certainly understand why. The earlier stuff especially is incredibly primitive, rudimentary even, sometimes succeeding at being heavy and sometimes sounding like they have no idea what they’re doing. When good, though, this is pretty good. Real dirty thrash on 1.4, 1.5, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7; quite prescient black metal (that admittedly owes a lot to Bathory and Sodom) on 1.8, 1.9, 1.10, 1.15, 2.3. Some other pretty good stuff too. BUT sort of annoying artsy tendencies: 1.1 is just a Beethoven sample and 1.6, 1.11, 1.12, 1.14, 1.17, 1.19, 1.20, 2.1, 2.2 (dead air beware!), and 2.8 are instrumentals–brief meandering metal tracks without lyrics, OR stuff that is ‘not music’ (intros/outros). SOME of this is compelling, but it’s frustrating there isn’t more of what Root do best: straightahead thrash. Several of the best metal tracks also contain the odd avant-curveball. Cheesy vocals abound, but those on 1.5, 1.8, 1.9 and 1.13 are impressively raw for their time. Some of the drumming is very fast but not as fast as Sarcofago. Czech lyrics, probably comprehensible to speakers of that language, and I believe Satanic in nature. All this music was presumably made against the backdrop of the 1989 ‘Velvet Revolution.’ Did Root help bring down the Iron Curtain? Probably not, but ‘Big Boss’ did go on to found the Czech branch of the ‘Church of Satan.’