This is a much more coherent CD than their debut, which features a far more raw, disjointed sound (that obviously carries a charm all its own); Beyond Sanctorium being the apex of the band's creativity as far as pure Death Metal is concerned.

Not being a fan of much in the way of DM, this is one of the examples of the genre that I can honestly say I love, having as it does all the elements that I need for the kind of Death that floats my individual goat. No punk influences, no dudes in sweats, no lyrics about what a terrible state the world is in; just solid, crushingly heavy riffing, pounding bass drums and roaring vocals emanating from the very depths of Hades.

This is Death Metal from the same forgotten crypt as Black Metal - evil, dark and not a mainstream bone in its re-animated corpse. It's also an album to be cranked so you can headbang and air-guitar your way through the Beavis and Butthead worthy 'dun dun duuuuuh dadadundundun' riffs the album inflicts on your eardrums; as well as the haunting solos and sublimely juxtaposed fast and slow arrangements.

The album also has some interesting surprises on it in addition to the perfect late 80s/early 90s Death Metal. There are some interesting influences to the occasional piece of keyboard work that creeps into the odd song that sounds vaguely Egyptian on one track; whilst another features the warbling croons of a female soprano that serve as a precursor to the direction the band was to take. Other things to look for include a riff that Deicide later almost perfectly reproduced, an 11-minute epic; and that seal-of-quality - a song based on HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos.