Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 minutes ago

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PHLEGETHON cover song included on the upcoming album "Nordic Embryogenesis" to be released on September 9th, 2026 on CD, 12"LP, Cassette & Digital formats through Xtreem Music (https://www.xtreemmusic.com)

"We're back in Finland with one of the most challenging songs of the whole project, not only because it's 7 minutes long, but also due to its complex structures, constant tempo changes and... fuck, it felt like it was never going to end, haha! This track comes from "Neutral Forest", the second demo recorded in 1990 by the Finnish band PHLEGETHON. Their first demo was excellent, with a rawer and wilder style, but I think it was on this second one that the band reached its compositional peak. This song is almost like two songs in one. It has everything: intensity, melody, aggression, brutality and atmosphere...

This demo was an absolute gem, and what struck me the most were the band photos. The members were barely 16 years old, which means they had started the band when they were only 14! Even so, they already showed an incredible ability to write songs, generally long, full of nuances and quite different from what was happening in Finland at the time, partly thanks to the strong Thrash influence running through their compositions.

After these two demos they recorded an EP in 1991 that kept the same high standard, but in 1995 they released another demo that drifted somewhat away from their original style, and shortly afterwards the band split up. In 2005, Lasse Pyykkö, the mastermind behind HOODED MENACE, recorded two demos and a few standalone tracks under the PHLEGETHON name, although the band never truly reunited. Even so, PHLEGETHON remains one of my all-time favourite Finnish Death Metal bands, and "Neutral Forest" is still an absolute classic that I never get tired of listening to". [Dave Rotten]