Demilitia
Self Titled
5.6
Unsigned Brooklyn, NY act Demilitia have created a sort of extreme metal stew on their self-titled, self-released EP. Death metal, metalcore, thrash, groove metal and stoner rock all make appearances, creating an intense, albeit somewhat schizophrenic listen. As the band heaves and lurches, stomps and storms from riff to riff, singer Ralph Reyes, complements the changes with a chameleon like vocal performance that ranges from Randy Blythe like screams to a deranged death growl not heard since Sylvain Houde fronted Kataklysm. Lead guitarist, Big Gun Burley (I am guessing that is his porn name) executes an equally diverse performance. Acting as a true lead guitarist, Burley seldom lets the rhythms go unaccompanied by complimentary melodies, Hammett-esque soloing or outright noise. Some notable examples of Burley’s work include the slow building intro to “Teteos,” wherein Burley varies a phrase from melodic to chaotic over a static groove, and the sing song melody that skitters across “Acrimony.” The rhythm section holds things down with a tight, workman-like performance that provides a solid foundation for the guitar and vocal acrobatics.
Demilitia’s main problem is that for all the album's interesting twists and turns, and for all of Reyes' and Burley’s embellishments, too much time is spent on simple stomping riffs that sound like a metalcore breakdown at best, and nu-metal at worst. Demilitia clearly has talent and some interesting ideas; if they could lose some of the tired chug in their sound and focus on some more interesting rhythms, they would be well on their way toward creating some memorable metal. As it stands, though, this is merely an average work. Fans of groove oriented bands such as Lamb of God, Skinlab, and old Machine Head may find Demilitia enjoyable, but metal purist would be best served to pass it by.
