Deathevokation
Blood Demo 2005
6.8
Sometimes I need a release like this to slap me in the face and call me Shirley. I mean, I can only review so much Christian metalcore or ambient stuff. DEATH METAL is my true love , and when its as forcibly retro as this (come on, it’s named after a Carnage/Dismember song), I am a happy man. This here is the band's demo officially released (it was originally released on cassette-that’s how old school these cats are) by Xtreem to prepare for the band’s full length debut, The Chalice of Ages, out later this year.
Granted, this isn’t total pure Stockholm worship (Entombed, Dismember, etc)you might expect from the namesake, but it tries and mixes in some late 80's early 90's US death metal into the mix too (Autopsy, Incantation, Cianide); it’s grimy, dirty, nasty and full of sludge; a lot like my laundry hamper.
The intentional throwback sound works well without being too grainy or ‘demo’ sounding, and the songs are a nice mix of slow sludgy riffs and cantering thrash. Demo centerpieces , “Embers of A Dying World”, “The Monument” and “Blood” are very God Macabre/Gorement like mixes of oppressive slower, doomy riffs and more urgent classic death metal. The other tracks on this 6 song demo are spooky/acoustic segues-again that’s sooo retro.
Götz Vogelsang has a nice raw, untouched roar; not stupidly guttural or pitchy. The production is well, old school, so don’t expect Tue Madsen here-it’s gnarly and rough, but sounds great to these ears. Its doesn’t sound like a demo it sounds like an appropriate homage to the source material when albums were recorded on analog. However, being truthful, this demo prolly isn’t worth your hard earned money though as it's only three real songs, and I imagine those will surface on the album, which I will definitely be checking out.
Related
DeathevokationThe Chalice Of Ages
2/1/2007