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Finnish Deathgrinders Disgrace first formed back in 1987, starting out as a Speed/Thrash outfit before opting for the same kind of brutal, heavy Death Metal that such luminaries as Convulse, Sentenced, Abhorrence, Funebre, Purtenance and Xysma made, starting with their debut full-length Grey Misery. In fact, Xysma is probably the best comparison you can make here, partly because they come from the same city, but more so due to how Disgrace worked in a similar vein of brutal, Carcass inspired Death/Grind with odd progressive and even jazzy twists to the songwriting, only Disgrace were heavier and even more complex. Of course, they were hardly a mere clone act, dishing out 10 songs worth of ambitious performances and relentless brutality with this album that managed the impressive feat of stepping out of the huge shadow Xysma had cast on the scene.

Sadly, this would be the only album from Disgrace to follow this kind of formula, as they'd fail to release Vol. 2 due to label issues and opt for a more Punk sound with later releases and ditch the Metal altogether, the latter point being fairly common for the era (you can read Rotting Ways of Misery for a more formal history of that. Yes, I will keep bringing this book up until you read it). Still, that does nothing to diminish both the quality and the impact of Grey Misery, which can proudly stand among other great albums like Yeah, World Without God, Children of Scorn, Shadows of the Past, and The Karelian Isthmus as one of the greatest treasures of the old Finnish Death Metal scene. Essential.