A Brutal Christmas: The Season in Chaos, various artists (SotD Records)

When you open the CD card on this one, you discover the songs are performed by bands who felt it necessary to reproduce their garish gothic logos next to their names. Never a good sign, say I. But as it happens, it's a worthwhile iconic reference to 80s speed/death metal, which is where these guys originate. This isn't a favorite genre of mine, mainly because of its lack of variation in style from one song to the next, but folks who came of age in that decade who didn't dig new wave should get a kick out of this 2002, as it's a well-performed labor of love from the record company (the apparently defunct Sounds of the Dead Records, just so you know). Two versions of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" probably weren't necessary, one by Kekal being fast and the other by Faithbomb being faster. Pure Defiance make "Joy to the World" almost a hockey-rink anthem before taking the lyrics at a slower shuffle. A break from the guitar cruch comes with the organ-led "Coventry Carol" by Frank's Enemy, which carries over into Frost Like Ashes kicking off with harpsichord on "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence/O Come Emanuel." Soon enough, however, they kick into overdrive. Royal Anguish take on "Mary Did You Know?" and Tortured Conscience do a deep-voiced crunch on "Little Drummer Boy." Probably best for fans of this type of music. Copies occasionally show up via 3rd parties on Amazon.