Treblinka can be considered a pre-Tiamat act, but with important differences.
First of all about the moniker. The band has never had the intention to promote any national-socialist or fascistic (neo-nazi) propaganda at all. In each interview Johan Edlund does, he sort of apologises for having ‘existed’ a couple of years under this specific name. You’ll find his explanation (including excuses) on the net for sure, as well as within the extended booklet. This booklet, by the way, also comes with lots of photos (that had not been released yet), liner notes, and interviews with some of the (former) Treblinka (and Tiamat) members (amongst whom, as mentioned before, founding member Johan Edlund).
Treblinka were formed in 1987 in the city of Täby, near Stockholm, by Johan Edlund (v, g), Anders Holmberg (d), Stefan Lagergren (g) and Jörgen Thullberg (b). The band released two demo tapes, Crawling In Vomits (1988) and The Sign Of The Pentagram (1989), which both were of a superb performance quality (the sound wasn’t that great at all, I’m afraid, but keep in mind that, back then, the studios weren’t as professionally equipped as they are now, and stuff got recorded on tape / cassette, and not via digitally-improved material – ivan). Also in 1989, Treblinka released the 7”EP Severe Abomination, which was TOP (and with a decent sound quality)! Then the band changed its moniker into Tiamat (after Johan found out the former moniker wasn’t that, er, peaceful…), becoming one of the many highly-influential bands from Sweden (read: the so-called Stockholm-sound), but that’s another story. Jörgen, Anders and Stefan left shortly after Treblinka was re-baptised into Tiamat. The members were involved with some other exceptionally interesting bands back then, like River’s Edge / Expulsion, and some of them (Jörgen and Stefan) nowadays are in Mr. Death, another sweet act that is so kind to satisfy our ear drums with thrashing fury.
FYI: there was a one-time reformation in 2008, a reunion for one single gig for the release party of Swedish Death Metal, you know, that nice, extremely detailed book about, indeed, the Swedish Death Metal scene, written by Daniel Ekeroth (with inclusion of an extremely interesting three-CD sampler that compiled known as well as rather unknown stuff from many proto-Swedeath acts). Except for Johan, this gig included the original line-up of the band. The Gustavsson-brothers Per and Erik (both involved with Nifelheim) replaced him for this unique one-time experience, by the way.
Shrine Of The Pentagram includes all material ever registered by Treblinka. It goes for the demos and EP which I mentioned above, yet also rehearsing and live material from the period 1987-1989. The three-CD package opens with the 1988-demo tape Crawling In Vomits, a title that sounds nastier than the music actually is. It stood / stands for a melodic yet adventurous form of (Stockholm-based) Death Metal with an enormous energetic drive and a rather darkened / darkening atmosphere. I think it was one of the best demos from Sweden from the late eighties (and since I was an obeisant fan of that scene back then, it does mean something), and you’ll understand my passion if you listen carefully. What an ingenious play, what an own-faced approach, even back then! I think it isn’t that imbecile to define this stuff as a Swedish interpretation of Possessed-meet-Hellhammer-meet-Bathory-meet-Mantas-meet-… Besides, the sound quality is very good for such an old record; I wonder if there had been a re-mastering of the original master tapes, for having twenty five year old material sound so fresh. Next comes the 1989-demo The Sign Of The Pentagram, which was more trashing (but without the inherent speed-up tempo, for this material is rather slow-paced and down-tuned) and blackened than the 1988-demo tape. The influences from Bathory, Sodom, Destruction, Samael, Kreator, Tormentor or Possessed are more pronounced, even though executed in a Swedish-styled manner. The demo is different from the first one, but without any doubt both of them are top and cult. Once again it comes with a sound quality that is beyond expectations for such old stuff (another surplus on this compilation!). the first disc ends with both tracks from the 1989-EP Severe Abominations, one of the best EP’s from the eighties (at least in the mind of undersigned). It sounded much more deadly and severe than both former demos, yet still with that characteristic approach. It’s like the ideal transgression from Treblinka to Tiamat, symbiosing the best elements from the original band with the details that made the early days of Tiamat so interesting (though the new band was never as ‘blackened’ and obscure as this grotesquery is). I guess it isn’t just a coincident remarkable fact that, besides a new track (the title track), this EP does feature Earwigs In Your Veins, the most thrash’n’black’n’death’n’rollin’ song ever done by Treblinka. After the EP, the first disc comes with rehearsal songs, recorded in early 1989, but with a sound that is indeed in the vein of most rehearsal tapes from the late eighties / early nineties: inferior. But since the quality of the songs (song writing and performance) is above average… The first disc, by the way, ends with a track exclusively performed live at the one-gig reunion for the promotion of that great Swedish Death Metal-saga. The song, Hail To Cruelty, was originally done on the debut demo, but it gets performed with a same-minded persuasion as the origins of All Evil. Sweet!
Disc two and three consist of unofficial recordings, mainly taken from live performances, as well as several studio outtakes without vocals. Unfortunately the sound is terrible, but what can you expect from tape-recordings for live performances done more than two decades ago?... Back then, there wasn’t the right equipment available to have live registrations sound like studio material. Therefor I do not care about the quality of audible recording. The importance is the quasi-perfected execution of quasi-perfect songs, isn’t it?! And the instrumental studio outtakes aren’t that bad at all when it comes to the sound. Of course there is a difference in between studio and live recorded material.
3 ½ hours of SUPERIOR STUFF, and therefore a NECESSITY, not just a recommendation! I think the first disc is, without any doubt, a collectors’ trophy, both other discs are additional bonuses. Melancholy of brutality rules!