We’re back at Sunday again, which means we’re back at a new haul of demos you can dig through ranging from Hardcore to Progressive Death Metal from all around the globe. Check out these new five demos to fill some time on this Sunday!
Iron Column – Power From Below (Black Metal / Punk – Germany)
Bands like VIDARGÄNGR or EVIL WARRIORS have already shown that Leipzig is a treasure chest for good Black Metal. Another project that shouldn’t fall down next to well-known names is IRON COLUMN. On POWER FROM BELOW you can expect very punk infused Black Metal, whose songs can be listened to very well one by one, but in the overall view they don’t really follow a common thread. In my opinion there has been too much experimentation, even if the respective attempts sound really good. So you stumble over dark USBM influences, up to Black’n Roll as practised by MIDNIGHT, but also more crusty elements or First Wave Death Metal. Instrumentals and production are decent and keep you entertained.
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Holy Flesh – Recruiting Long Lost Lovers (Hardcore Punk – Germany)
You are into rocking hardcore punk and do not know the new German band HOLY FLESH yet? You should definitely change this because what these guys from Leipzig are doing here is super groovy, reminds you a bit of old POISON IDEA, has a slight street punk touch and even sounds a bit like TRAGEDY on the guitar in some places. The two songs of the Recruiting Long Lost Lovers 7″ are very entertaining. Exactly the sound to that you want to enjoy your first cold drink in the blazing sun.
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Caustic – Caustic Death (Thrash / Crossover – USA)
Even though CAUSTIC “only” come from the midwest, the sound here brings a good wave of dreamy West Coast crossover. The songs offer more thrash metal than hardcore, but without the heavy, metallic breaks. Personally, most of the riffs are too packed without being bad in the basics. These Americans have meant too well and have put too many elements into their guitar playing, which sometimes puts the massive drums, where especially the base really pushes, too much into the background. Also the vocals fall off a bit and lose some of their aggressiveness. However, since CAUSTIC DEATH is a demo, it’s all grumbling on a high level. If you like PRIMAL RITE or LIAR’S TONGUE, you can risk an ear. CAUSTIC don’t yet have the quality of for example the currently highly acclaimed DRAIN album CALIFORNIA CURSED, but with this debut they have clearly taken a step in the right direction.
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Poison Ruïn – s/t Demo (Punk/Post Punk/Dungeon Synth – USA)
Ok with POISON RUIN I was a little bit irritated in the beginning, because I expected a nasty Metal Punk or Black/Thrash record because of the artwork. But the band from Philadelphia have a relatively groovy mixture of old UK Punk and Post Punk firing out through the speakers that is combined with elements of Dungeon Synth and Heavy Metal. While listening to this record you feel like 30 years back in time and in some places even more into the dark middle ages because of the synth elements. Especially the mostly hymnic voice reveals the post punk influences on the EP. They sound a bit rougher than the vocals of BLITZ, but it’s not that far away. So if you want to know how depressing small town carnival of the 80s sounded like, don’t waste any time and listen to POISON RUIN as soon as possible.
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Swamp – Swamp EP (Progressive Death Metal – USA)
Do you know the feeling when you discover a new band for yourself, where even the first release sounds so exciting that you can’t wait for the next one? That’s exactly how I feel at the moment with SWAMP from Florida. When I stumbled upon the recently released self-titled EP, I didn’t know what to expect, since I had never heard of this band before. It took me about 1 minute to get completely into it, but after that I could hardly get away from the songs at all. The melodic death metal these Americans present here is quite progressive and offers strong songwriting for a debut that doesn’t seem boring or overloaded at any point. In this album BOLT THROWER similar rolling parts are combined with atmospheric passages that remind me of the first IN FLAMES or EDGE OF SANITY records. The vocals are deep throughout and offer no clear parts at all. But this combination ignites and makes the EP a complex record, where even after the 5th run you still haven’t discovered all the highlights.
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