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:

Dark Legions - 2005 - Awakening of the Legions

Swedish Satanic Thrashers Dark Legions have, after only a few weeks as a band released their first demo unto the underground. This is some seriously good Thrash, and coming from me that's not bad, since I'm not that fond of Thrash in general. They have drawn inspiration from the classics in the scene - Possessed, Celtic Frost, Slayer and early Bathory. Ripping guitars and well played drumming creates a feeling of the bands from the '90ies, as well as the classics, with an updated sound to it. Very nice. This reminds me somewhat of Clandestine Blaze, as well as a bit of the amazing, but very very
 obscure local band Slakters that released a few things on tape many a year ago. The circulation was not that big, so it doesn't really help in describing this band, though, I guess. The music is mostly mid-paced, and seriously groovy.

The vocals sound like early '90ies Swedish Death Metal vocals with a twist of classic Metal. Some parts L G Petrow of Entombed are present, but mostly they are a bit deeper and darker, reminding me somewhat of those by Ares on the later Aeternus albums.

The soundquality is well above that of an average demo recording. The guitars are a bit fuzzy, and the percussions sound slightly weird at times, but other than that there really isn't anything to complain about here. The vocals are more towards the front in the mix, with the other instruments being slightly in the back. These guys know their stuff, and perform it well. If you're into Thrash you could do far worse than buying this demo.

Standout tracks are "Purification", with its heavy groove, and "March of the Legions". "Purification" is a track that easily gets stuck in your head.

Friday January 20 2006, by :Vragh:

Among the Living/Dominatör - 2005 - Split

Two bands from the Netherlands are presented on this split effort. Among the Living play slightly melodic Thrashing Death Metal, with some small amounts of Doom in the mix, and are represented
here with four tracks. The music is actually really heavy, reminding me of both Slayer and early Metallica.

The vocals are barked out, reminding me more of Punk/Hardcore style vocals. They actually remind me somewhat of Max Cavalera's vocals, mixed with something I can't put my finger on at the moment. Can't really describe them better than that. At first I wasn't really that fond of them, but after a while you notice that they actually fit the music rather well.

The soundquality is very good indeed. The instruments can be heard clearly in the mix, and the sound is sharp. I would say that this is actually a lot better than average. This was the bands last recording.

Standout track is "Drown".

Dominatör plays a somewhat slower Thrashy Death Metal, with more Doom in the music, and are represented with five tracks, the last one being a live track.This is slower than Among the Living, and with a different heaviness as well. Traces of Slayer are present here as well, as a bit of Megadeth and even some slight amount of Testament.

The vocals are somewhat similar to those by Nathan of Graves at Sea, and they also remind me a bit of those by Chuck Schuldiner of Death, although these are not as highpitched.

The soundquality is somewhat murkier than the tracks by Among the Living, but I like it, and the individual instruments can still be heard clearly. The live track has a remarkably good soundquality, as well.

Standout track is "600 Days".

Saturday October 21 by :Vragh: