Are you a giant death metal nerd? Then you need to hear this very obscure demo from a great death metal band that never really got the recognition that they deserve… and then check out my full series on exactly this topic right here.
Parricide were never really a band in the traditional sense — and that’s exactly what makes them fascinating. The Rhode Island–based death metal project consisted of one man, a drum machine, a guest guitarist, and a singular vision, resulting in one of the most unhinged and overlooked demos of the mid-’90s underground.
The project was led by multi-instrumentalist Bob Cardente, with Bill Pinchins contributing guest guitar work. In 1995, Parricide released their lone demo, A Future of Suffering — four tracks, roughly 16 minutes, and zero compromises. Shortly after, the project disappeared entirely.
What sets A Future of Suffering apart immediately is how deeply the drum machine shapes the songwriting. There’s no attempt to soften or disguise it. The programmed drums are relentless — hyper-fast, rigid, and brutally inhuman — and instead of working around that limitation, Cardente leans fully into it.
The result is manic, high-velocity death metal that feels constantly on the verge of spiraling out of control. Every riff seems written to chase or collide with the mechanical onslaught, creating a suffocating intensity that never lets up. There’s no groove, no breathing room — just forward momentum and raw aggression.
Beyond the demo itself, information on Parricide is almost nonexistent. Aside from listings on Metal Archives and a handful of YouTube uploads, there’s little documentation of the project. One of the only verifiable details is that the trademark for Parricide‘s logo was canceled in 1998, suggesting the project was officially abandoned not long after the demo’s release.
Cardente appears to have completely left music following A Future of Suffering. He is occasionally linked to another band called Atrocity, but there’s no evidence that project ever released any recorded material.
One detail that absolutely deserves recognition is the demo artwork, which ranks among the most striking of any ’90s death metal release. The art was created by Sean Carr, best known for his work on Internal Bleeding‘s Voracious Contempt (1995) and Oppressor‘s 1996 self-titled single.
Carr‘s grotesque, oppressive visual style perfectly complements the sonic chaos of A Future of Suffering, elevating the demo beyond just an audio experience. It’s the kind of artwork that sticks with you as much as the music itself.
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