Beheaded

In 1991 Malta’s inaugural and most enduring death metal act, Beheaded, was assembled by vocalist Marcel Scalpello, guitarist David Bugeja and drummer Chris Brincat. Within the island’s already tiny rock community the trio stood out as complete outsiders and spent several years honing their craft before committing their first recording to tape. With the addition of second guitarist Tyson Fenech and bassist David Cachia they produced the demo “Souldead,” whose sophisticated compositions, technical command and polished execution drew widespread notice. That exposure secured a contract with Sweden’s X-treme Records, which eventually released the band’s debut album Perpetual Mockery in 1998 after extended postponements. By the time of its appearance guitarist Omar Grech had taken Fenech’s place, allowing Beheaded to embark on an extensive European tour alongside Dying Fetus, Vader and Deranged. Upon returning home the musicians found themselves uncertain about their artistic path, prompting Scalpello’s departure and the arrival of replacement singer Lawrence Joyce. As work commenced on the follow-up, the group deliberately stripped away the atmospheric keyboards and melodic touches that had defined their earlier material, committing instead to a tighter, more savage strain of death metal. This shift first surfaced on the 2001 mini-CD Resurgence of Oblivion, which served as a preview for the long-delayed second full-length Recounts of Disembodiment issued the following year.