Rippikoulu - Musta Seremonia (1993)
Rippikoulu is a Finnish death-doom band that came out with two demos in the '90s, only to disappear with near-legendary status for twenty years after their guitarist passed away. In 2014, they got back together and released an EP that's pretty universally regarded as weaker than this demo. Musta Seremonia is what earned them their place among the best of the best death-doom bands, especially because 1993 was around the time that the genre began to form, with Anathema , Asphyx , and My Dying Bride defining it. If you're normally not one for demos because of the sound quality, don't fret. It really doesn't sound much like a demo, it's mixed and recorded surprisingly well--not amazing or anything, but not your typical "demo-quality." Somehow I have neglected to mention by now that the reason why this thing is so legendary is how MASSIVE it is. Chugging riffs accompanied by thundering drums and brutal vocals. Also, apparently they are the fi...