And Utero Dominae
Minor Evolutions (Demo)
7.7
It is probably due to thrash overload, that I find And Utero Dominae’s demo Minor Evolutions to be such a breath of fresh air. Overcome by the stale air of eighties nostalgia, AUD’s nineties styled industrial metal sound is positively invigorating. Guitarist/bassist/vocalist, Sam Geiger lays a foundation of punishing riffs that alternately heave and crash like storm driven surf, and clatter like machine gun fire. For his part, drummer Justin Brink does a perfect impression of a drum machine, blasting out over-processed beats with mechanical precision.
While the foundation is solid enough, it is the embellishments that elevate Minor Evolutions above a mere meat and potatoes affair. A minute and ten seconds into the opening track, “This Low,” Geiger unleashes a face-melting solo that would do Krisiun proud, serving notice that this album will not be an exercise in cold industrial minimalism. In addition to fret board heroics, Geiger employs a lot of tonal variation, be it from varying distortion levels or effects such as harmonization and whammy pedal tricks, so that the changes from riff to riff are not only melodic and rhythmic, but often also textural.
The demo concludes with two longer tracks, “Minor Evolutions,” and “Occupier,” wherein the band finds time between the pummeling to showcase its subtle side. The title track features a section of slinky, rolling bass line and some mellow harmonized leads. “Occupier” opens with an infectious guitar clarion call and closes with a gently plucked melody, complimented by a chicken picked counter melody.
And Utero Dominae’s only weak point is Geiger’s rather generic shouted vocals, but the band’s other strengths more than make up for the lack. Minor Evolutions is a work that is musically engaging, sonically adventurous, and heavy as fuck. Industrial metal may not be the hottest trend right now, but good metal is timeless, and Minor Evolutions is damn good metal.
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