Virginia's Deceased started out as a VOIVOD-worshipping deathmetal outfit before transforming into a throwback to '80s speed/thrash metal, with denim-clad dual guitarists unleashing awesome MAIDEN-esque harmonies, and singer/drummer King Fowley belting out his horror-film fueled visions of apocalypse and zombie horror with a voice uncannily reminiscent of VENOM�s Cronos, all the while maintaining the brutality and technicality of modern death metal. Awesome stuff, and there is no denying that DECEASED are one of the pioneering forces behind Death Metal as we know it. Deceased's legendary BIRTH BY RADIATION (1988) and NUCLEAR EXORCIST (1989) demos set the standard for metal bands worldwide, and Cursed Productions presents these diabolical recordings, plus four previously unavailable bonus tracks, completely remastered by the band. Deceased exists here as they did in 1988-89 as a fusion between Voivod-style technical speed metal and the wave of neo-death bands like Kreator, Sodom and Destruction. Racing verses and anthemic choruses match a smugly precise sense of rhythmic conclusion and vocals in a hoarse voice chant over the fluttering punctuation of drumming. While these songs have individual riffs and transitions that stand up to the best in the genre, the second demo and more recent work reveal how Deceased have improved in assembling these pieces into songs. Included after both demos is live material from 1998 which shows the band at the height of their efficiency shaping streamlined versions of older works into a style of more varied technique and great flexibility. Even for those who are not Deceased fans, this release provides an insight into the primordial elements from which death metal arose.