La Muerte - Death Race 2000 - 12" LP Vinyl Album

- Brutal Belgian noise and apocalyptic riffs tearing through garage rock chaos

LA MUERTE - Death Race 2000 12" LP VINYL Album front cover https://vinyl-records.nl

"DEATH RACE 2000," the 12" LP VINYL Album, stands as the second opus of the Belgian band La Muerte. This album takes listeners on a sonic journey, encapsulating the band's unique blend of post-punk, rock, and psychedelic elements. La Muerte, known for their experimental and genre-defying approach, unleashes a sonic landscape that is both intense and immersive. "Death Race 2000" serves as a testament to the band's artistic evolution, solidifying their status as trailblazers in the Belgian music scene. This album includes the original custom inner sleeve with album details, complete lyrics of all songs by and artwork/photos. 

"Death Race 2000" Album Description:

In the realm of underground and alternative music, there exist certain albums that stand as milestones, pushing boundaries and challenging conventions. One such landmark is "Death Race 2000", the second album by Belgian band La Muerte. Released as a 12" LP vinyl, this album brought forth a raw and intense auditory experience that left an indelible mark on the music landscape. With its distinctive sound, evocative artwork, and unapologetic attitude, "Death Race 2000" solidified La Muerte's reputation as a force to be reckoned with in the realm of alternative and industrial rock.

The Menacing Atmosphere

From the very first notes of "Death Race 2000", listeners are thrust into a dark and ominous soundscape. The album's title alone hints at a post-apocalyptic world of chaos and destruction, a theme that resonates throughout the tracks. La Muerte masterfully blends elements of punk, industrial, and metal, creating a unique sonic concoction that defies categorization. The relentless, pounding rhythms, aggressive guitar riffs, and Marc du Marais' guttural vocals contribute to a sonic assault that is both captivating and unsettling.

Lyrics That Cut Deep

What sets "Death Race 2000" apart from its contemporaries is not just its musical intensity but also its thought-provoking lyrics. The album addresses a range of themes, from societal decay to personal introspection, all delivered with an unfiltered honesty that leaves no room for compromise. The complete lyrics included within the album allow listeners to delve deeper into the band's narrative, revealing a layer of complexity beneath the surface aggression.

Artwork and Visual Identity

The album's cover artwork and accompanying visuals further enhance the album's impact. A striking fusion of monochromatic imagery and visceral design, the artwork captures the essence of the music. The visual representation of the "Death Race" concept is both alluring and haunting, drawing the audience into the world that La Muerte has created. The custom inner sleeve provides additional insight into the band's vision, creating a holistic sensory experience that complements the music.

Recording and Production

"Death Race 2000" was meticulously crafted at the Polyzone Studio in Brussels, a choice that undoubtedly contributed to the album's distinct sonic quality. Produced by Paul Denoy for Soundwork Productions, the album captures the raw energy of La Muerte's live performances while maintaining a polished production value. The chemistry between band members—Marc du Marais on vocals, Dee-J on guitar, Paul "Dunlop" Delnoy on bass, and Michel De Greef on drums—is palpable, resulting in a cohesive and powerful musical unit.

Legacy and Influence

Over the years, "Death Race 2000" has garnered a devoted cult following and has influenced subsequent generations of musicians. La Muerte's daring fusion of genres and unapologetic exploration of unconventional themes have left an indelible impact on the alternative music scene. The album's legacy serves as a testament to the power of artistic expression that pushes boundaries and challenges preconceived notions.

 

La Muerte Band Description:

La Muerte is a Belgian rock band that emerged in the mid-1980s and quickly gained recognition for their distinctive and powerful fusion of multiple genres, including punk, rock, industrial, and metal. Founded in Brussels, Belgium, the band's name translates to "The Death" in Spanish, reflecting their dark and intense musical style.

Formed in 1983, La Muerte consisted of four core members who played pivotal roles in shaping their sound and image:

1. Marc du Marais: Known for his gravelly and commanding vocals, Marc du Marais was a key element in La Muerte's aggressive and visceral sonic identity.

2. Dee-J (Dirk Bogaert): As the guitarist, Dee-J contributed blistering riffs and dynamic guitar work that added to the band's unique musical tapestry.

3. Paul "Dunlop" Delnoy: Paul Delnoy played bass, contributing to the band's rhythmic foundation with his powerful and driving basslines.

4. Michel De Greef: The drummer of the band, Michel De Greef, provided the relentless and pounding rhythms that characterized La Muerte's music.

La Muerte gained significant attention with their energetic live performances, often marked by their confrontational and provocative stage presence. Their music was a potent blend of aggression and melody, and they were unafraid to tackle challenging themes in their lyrics, addressing subjects like societal decay, introspection, and the darker aspects of human existence.

One of the band's standout works is the album "Death Race 2000", which exemplified their fearless approach to music-making. Released in 1986, this album captured La Muerte at the height of their creative power, and its raw energy and intense sound helped solidify their reputation as pioneers of the alternative and industrial rock scene.

Throughout their career, La Muerte released several albums and gained a dedicated following, particularly in Europe. Their music and attitude were influential in shaping the Belgian alternative music landscape and inspiring subsequent generations of musicians. While they may not have achieved mainstream commercial success on a global scale, La Muerte remains an iconic and respected name in the realm of underground rock and alternative music.

 

Production & Recording Information:

Music Genre:

Alternative Rock, Garage Rock

Label & Catalognr:

Play it Again Sam Record – BIAS 134s

Media Format:

Record Format: 12" Vinyl Stereo Gramophone Record
Total Album (Cover+Record) weight: 230 gram

Year & Country:

1989 – Belgium

Producers:
  • Paul Denoy – Producer for Soundwork Productions
Recording Location:

Polyzone Studio – Brussel, Belgium

Band Members / Musicians:

Band Line-up:
  • Marc du Marais – Vocals
  • Dee-J – Guitar
  • Paul "Dunlop" Delnoy – Bass
  • Michel De Greef – Drums

Complete Track-listing:

Tracklisting Side One:
  1. I Would Die Faster – 4'10
  2. Black God, White Devil – 4'33
  3. Ecoute Cette Prière – 3'30
  4. Make It Easy – 3'23
  5. I Lost My Hand – 2'51
Video: La Muerte E- coute Cette Prière
Tracklisting Side Two:
  1. Shoot In Your Back – 4'57
  2. Death Race 2000 – 5'22
  3. Burst My Soul – 4'06
  4. Killing Is My Business – 4'05
  5. Scared Flame – 7'14
Video: La Muerte - Death Race 2000
Album Front Cover Photo
Vividly illustrated front cover of La Muerte's album Death Race 2000, showing a comic-style green dinosaur with yellow highlights, wide open mouth full of sharp white teeth, glaring eye, and tiny arms, surrounded by fiery orange and red explosions against a chaotic abstract background. Above, the band name La Muerte appears in bold jagged red and black letters with white outline, and at the bottom the album title Death Race 2000 is displayed in jagged hot-pink letters. The whole design exudes aggressive, underground punk and garage rock aesthetics.

The album front cover is a frenzied explosion of comic-book energy. Dominating the artwork is a monstrous green dinosaur, its skin streaked with lurid yellow and deep shadows, jaws wide open to reveal a row of jagged white teeth. One bulging eye stares outward, giving the creature a half-panicked, half-menacing expression, while its tiny forearms hang awkwardly below.

The background is equally chaotic, rendered in blasts of fiery red, orange, and purple, suggesting violent eruptions or apocalyptic destruction. Exploding fragments scatter in all directions, amplifying the sense of mayhem and fury. The entire scene feels both surreal and threatening, as though ripped from the panels of an underground comic book.

Above the beast, the band name La Muerte bursts across the top in jagged red letters edged with black and outlined in white, radiating raw intensity. At the bottom, the album title Death Race 2000 appears in hot pink block letters with a distressed texture, anchoring the artwork in punk-rock defiance. Together, these elements create a visual assault that perfectly mirrors the band’s aggressive sound and underground ethos.

Album Back Cover Photo
Back cover of La Muerte's Death Race 2000, featuring four stark, high-contrast portraits of the band members drenched in harsh colored lighting—red, yellow, blue, magenta—staring out with sneers and shades, framed against darkness. Below, the title Death Race 2000 screams in jagged yellow lettering inside a flaming red and orange backdrop, burning across the lower half of the sleeve. Text at the bottom notes Play It Again Sam Records, Brussels, Belgium, 1989.

The back cover of Death Race 2000 doesn’t whisper, it slaps you across the face with gasoline-soaked bravado. Four faces, scorched into celluloid like mugshots from hell—half in shadow, half blinded by radioactive neon. One squints like he’s staring down the barrel, another hides behind shades that reek of midnight menace. Every portrait is cracked, harsh, and unapologetically ugly in that way rock and roll is supposed to be.

And then—bang!—the title itself, Death Race 2000, comes roaring out of the flames like a dragster from Hades. Jagged yellow letters carved into a fireball, racing across the sleeve as if the cover itself is about to combust in your hands. No subtlety, no class, just pure scorched-earth attitude. Play it Again Sam Records stamped their Brussels address at the bottom, but make no mistake: this thing wasn’t made to be cataloged. It was made to torch your expectations and leave scorch marks on your turntable.

First Photo of Custom Inner Sleeve
Black-and-white inner sleeve photo of La Muerte from the Death Race 2000 album, showing four band members in leather jackets and sunglasses posed with confrontational stares. The composition is stark, raw, and lit with harsh contrasts, capturing a menacing underground aesthetic. The bottom half of the sleeve is solid black.

Here’s your precious inner sleeve, and instead of lyrics or arty abstractions, you get the band staring you down like a gang that just stole your beer and dares you to ask for it back. Leather jackets creak under the weight of their own self-loathing, sunglasses shield eyes that are probably rolling at your existence, and the whole thing reeks of that unwashed authenticity critics pretend to hate but secretly drool over.

The photo is drenched in stark black-and-white, no color to soften the blows, no smiles to make you feel safe. They lean, they glare, they brood—every pose screaming “we don’t care, but we know you do.” The bottom half? Just pure, suffocating black. A void. An abyss. A metaphor for your soul after you spin this record too many times at 3 a.m. with cheap whiskey and bad ideas.

Second Photo of Custom Inner Sleeve
Reverse side of La Muerte’s Death Race 2000 inner sleeve, featuring blocky all-caps black typewritten credits and track listing printed over a ghostly monochrome band photo barely visible in the background. Text includes track names, production credits, acknowledgments, and dedications, filling the entire surface with raw industrial density.

This is not liner notes, it’s a typographic brick hurled straight at your eyeballs. The reverse inner sleeve of Death Race 2000 is one long slab of all-caps confessions, threats, and thanks, banged out in typeface so blunt it feels like you’re reading the Book of Revelation through a photocopier that’s been dipped in whiskey.

Track listings spit at you in block letters—I Would Die Faster, Black God White Devil, Shoot In Your Back—every title less like a song and more like an epitaph. Production credits, shoutouts, random dedications to Bruce Lee and Cassius Clay, all pile together into a wall of noise masquerading as text. Behind it all, faint and ghostlike, the band’s faces haunt the page, like phantoms smirking at you through the static.

It’s chaotic, overstuffed, confrontational—exactly the way a record like this should be documented. No design school polish here, just raw underground scripture stapled to vinyl, daring you to read until your eyes burn.

Close up of Side One record’s label
Side One label of La Muerte's Death Race 2000, black vinyl center label printed with white flaming La Muerte logo, track listing for five songs, catalog number BIAS 134, BIEM/SABAM rights information, and 33⅓ RPM playback details. The design is stark, aggressive, and purely functional, radiating underground energy.

Here it is: the black heart of the beast. Side One’s label doesn’t coddle you with design frills or psychedelic doodles—it screams La Muerte in jagged, flaming letters like a gang tag carved into the city’s last standing wall. White ink on black vinyl, raw contrast, no apologies. It’s a warning sign disguised as packaging.

The tracklist lines up like a police report: I Would Die Faster, Black God White Devil, Shoot In Your Back—not songs, but indictments. Catalog numbers, BIEM/SABAM stamps, 33⅓ RPM notation—all the bureaucratic detritus of the music industry clinging desperately to something that clearly wants to blow it up. Spin this and you’re not just listening, you’re conspiring.