Before 1998’s experimental technical metal masterpiece "Obscura," Canadian death metallers Gorguts released two quality albums with almost a completely different lineup - 1991’s "Considered Dead" and 1993’s "The Erosion of Sanity."  The latter album began to show a bit of the experimental direction that the band’s sound would take, but both albums generally keep to a much more conventional death metal style, more on par with what Suffocation, Cryptopsy and others were doing around that time.  The opener ‘…And Then Comes Lividity’ on "Considered Dead" is also one of the most menacing acoustic songs I’ve heard.

Both early Gorguts albums have been recently re-released in two different forms, so there’s really no excuse for death metal fans not to pick them up.  Roadrunner Records, which released the original versions, has resurfaced both albums on one disc as part of their "Two From The Vault" series.  Polish label Metal Mind Productions has also released remastered versions of both albums.  The question is, which version should you buy?

While the Metal Mind versions are remastered and thus should have better sound quality, you’ll have to buy two albums at import prices.  The Roadrunner disc combines both albums under price of a single CD, so if you’re looking for the best value it should be a no-brainer.  One thing to note though - the Metal Mind remasters both include two bonus tracks each which aren’t included on the Roadrunner disc.  So, if you’re one of those people that have to have every single track the band has released, or if the sound quality is important to you, the Metal Mind versions might be the better option.

If you’re still thirsty for more Gorguts, check out Negativa, a new project featuring former Gorguts guitarists Luc Lemay and Steeve Hurdle.  They’ve relased a self-titled EP, and are currently working on their first full length.