Some stories emerge from the deepest shadows of obscurity — and this is one of them. Rise Above Records — Lee Dorrian‘s legendary imprint, home to Cathedral, Electric Wizard, and countless heavy underground relics — has just unveiled the official teaser for one of the most extraordinary archival discoveries in recent memory: Evil Grave – “Death From Malta (1972–77),” a previously unreleased collection of low-budget demos from what may be the most unknown heavy band in Mediterranean Rock history.
Stream the official teaser via the YouTubeplayer below:
Evil Grave were an exceptionally unique underground Rock band from Malta — a small island nation rarely associated with Heavy Music — who ruled the local scene in the early 1970s and were voted best band in national polls, all while never releasing a single piece of material during their existence.
Formed in late 1971 from the ashes of two bands — The Stampede, a Psychedelic/Blues outfit from Attard, and The Beatmoors from Balzan — the group coalesced around guitarist/vocalist John E. Zammit-Pace, bassist Twanny Darmanin, keyboardist Clive Simpson, and drummer Mario Barbara (later replaced by Martin Buhagiar). Deeply rooted in avant-garde abstraction, Surrealist art, and non-mainstream sonic exploration, Evil Grave became the first Maltese band to incorporate chromatics, atonality, and synthetic modes into their compositions — only to be asked to tone it all down whenever a recording opportunity arose.
Heavily influenced by Black Sabbath and early Progressive Rock — filtered through a distinctly Maltese sensibility — the band recorded several low-budget demos before simply vanishing into obscurity. One surviving tape, recorded at the Rediffusion Studios in Malta in March 1973, was later found in a garage in the UK — raw, unedited, no overdubs, exactly as they played it live.
During a recent vacation to Malta, Rise Above founder Lee Dorrian became aware of the band and spent the following three years tracking down as much information as possible. With the blessing of original guitarist and songwriter John E. Zammit-Pace, the label is now ready to unleash this ungodly artifact upon the world for the very first time.
“Death From Malta (1972–77)” will be released on Rise Above Relics on black vinyl, limited to 300 copies, with insert — as well as on CD slipcase edition. The official teaser is now live. Press play. Let Malta shake again.
Pre-Order “Death From Malta (1972–77)” here: https://riseaboverecords.com/product/death-from-malta/
Tracklist:
01. Macinhery
02. Optica
03. Screaming Streaks Of Light
04. Jam Session
05. Satan’s Death