by Vincent Jeffries

On Unleashed's 1991 debut, Where No Life Dwells, the Swedish outfit reveals a commitment to two kinds of death metal: fast and faster. Pure and enthusiastic, this disc plays like an audio textbook for those interested in the state and design of early-'90s death metal excess. The riffs are furious and occasionally undefined, but drummer Anders Schultz does an exceptional job leading his bandmates through the Unleashed sonic assault during highlights like "Before the Creation of Time" and the more plodding but totally brutal "...And the Laughter Had Died." The rest of the group keeps pace, as every player hits his mark with precision and just a little flair. As death metal debuts go, this is a very impressive one from the stylistically myopic but musically consistent Unleashed.