Eaten Alive - 2005 - Demo 2005

Out of the US comes this Death Metal band with their first demo. We are presented with three tracks of mid-paced to fast Gore/Death Metal similar to earlier Cannibal Corpse and some of the slower Cryptopsy tracks with the random Slayer sounding guitar solo thrown in as well.

There are two vocal tracks on this release. The main vocals are deep, dark growls with the occasional screaming. They remind me mostly of those by Ross Dolan of Immolation, only darker. The backing vocals are more towards the highpitched, sounding somewhat like those by Nathan of Graves at Sea.

The soundquality is quite good, with all the instruments clearly heard in the mix. A quite enjoyable Death Metal demo, quite above par.

Standout tracks are "Eaten to Deformity" and "Meat Grinder".

Saturday October 21 2006, by :Vragh:

Carnal Leftovers - 2006 - Pressure Pleasure

Here we have the odd Dutch horde Carnal Leftovers. What makes them odd is the fact that they play humorous Death Metal. Not a lot of bands doing this, that's for sure. What's also rather amusing is that their music is really crushingly heavy. The music is slow to fast with some parts Pantera in some
of the tracks, as well as some Cryptopsy heavyness. There are some parts Cannibal Corpse and Arsonist here as well.

The vocals remind me of those by Lord Worm on the earlier Cryptopsy albums, but these are quite a bit clearer, and you can actually hear the lyrics from time to time. Some slight similarities to early Cannibal Corpse are also present.

The soundquality is thick and bassoriented, and you hear all the instruments clearly in the mix. Of the six tracks on this release, the two last tracks are live recordings, and the soundquality on those tracks is really good as well.

Standout tracks are "Lactose Intolerant" and "Pressure Pleasure".

Saturday October 21 2006, by :Vragh:

Arsonist - 2006 - Therapy in Violence

Here we have the second demo of this Swedish Death Metal outfit, and this is quite a piece of work. They have progressed since their their 2004 demo, and the new material is very good indeed. We are presented with three tracks of extremely wellplayed Death Metal, sounding like a mix of Swedish and
American Metal of Death. The first demo had musically some similarities with Immolation, but these similarities are now in the background, and there is more of a feeling of Insision, slower Deranged and earlier Cannibal Corpse to their music here.

The vocals are more audible on this release, sounding similar to the vocals in Immolation and Morbid Angel while also sounding like Chris Barnes at times. Very nice!

The production on this demo is extremely good, sounding like a fullblown studio recording in my ears, at least. The material feels a bit more structured than on the first demo, and the drum sound is greatly improved, as is the bass. This is a band that could, and would have gone far had they not split up. The only bad thing about this demo is that it only contains three tracks. Most definitely worth checking out!

Standout tracks are "Sadistic Necrophile Bed-Pleasures" and "Divine Art of Killing".

Saturday February 11 2006, by :Vragh: