⛧
Deo Optimo Maximo (1989)
Scarecrow was a short-lived band from Poland, formed in the late '80s. Their one and only demo, Deo Optimo Maximo, was recorded in September 1989. Despite the less-than-intimidating band name and the goofy cover photo, this very well may be one of the darkest things ever spawned in the Polish underground.
This tape is barely ten minutes long and features six tracks of black/thrash with influences from early Sodom and Bathory. The sound is very raw and lo-fi, which perfectly suits the grim, hellish material, with a thin guitar tone and drumming that sounds low and distant. The vocals are prominent in the mix and have a demonic and hateful feeling, similar to many in the South American scene. The songwriting and execution is primitive. While the thrashier riffs here aren't much different from what several other bands in Poland were doing, the cold and sombre tremolo riffs stand out as being a bit ahead of their time. In a way, this sounds like a template for the second wave black metal that would soon follow, especially on "Jestem w tobie".
It would have been nice if the tracks were a bit longer and even slightly more developed, but Deo Optimo Maximo is very solid even as it is. Scarecrow is definitely another case of a band that came and went too soon, yet what they managed to do in merely ten minutes surpasses what many could possibly achieve with ten full-length albums. This is highly recommended.
This tape is barely ten minutes long and features six tracks of black/thrash with influences from early Sodom and Bathory. The sound is very raw and lo-fi, which perfectly suits the grim, hellish material, with a thin guitar tone and drumming that sounds low and distant. The vocals are prominent in the mix and have a demonic and hateful feeling, similar to many in the South American scene. The songwriting and execution is primitive. While the thrashier riffs here aren't much different from what several other bands in Poland were doing, the cold and sombre tremolo riffs stand out as being a bit ahead of their time. In a way, this sounds like a template for the second wave black metal that would soon follow, especially on "Jestem w tobie".
It would have been nice if the tracks were a bit longer and even slightly more developed, but Deo Optimo Maximo is very solid even as it is. Scarecrow is definitely another case of a band that came and went too soon, yet what they managed to do in merely ten minutes surpasses what many could possibly achieve with ten full-length albums. This is highly recommended.
(21 June 2025)
Last Updated: You are Visitor #: