It's bands like this that make life hell for a reviewer. How the hell does one describe something like this? I'll make the job easier for myself and call them as an amalgam of death and thrash with some progressive touches. These guys are technically quite proficient, with each instrument getting a chance to stand out here and there.
The first two songs are thrashy in nature, though not overtly aggressive. The second song, "Icon of Malice," reminds me of a lighter sounding Nevermore, but just as soon as that thought enters my mind these guys shift to a death metallish riff.
"Refusal," an instrumental track, has some really cool Alice in Hell-era Annihilator vibes. The guitars really shine out in this track with some nice soloing.
The next song, "Plague of Spirits," starts out with a riff that could have come from Grave's first album, and then the song progresses into complex time signature territory. It's the drummer’s time to shine out in this track, which is instrumental as well.
The last song sees the blastbeat appear for the first time. Again, the riffs are superb and there is a nice long melodic solo in this song. I had never heard of these guys before I received this demo, but now I'm off to check out for more info about them on the web. This stuff is really good. (7.3/10)
All related articles (interviews, live, from the vault)
