Don't let the charming guitar introduction misinform you. There is nothing mollifying about Extermination Angel's new demo, primitively titled Demo 2015. Dropping a payload of refined War Metal in shorter bursts than normally utilized, Extermination Angel will leave the hardened metalhead soft in the knees. I really like these ultra-impact demos with short songs. They give a quick snippet of a band's talents and leave one wanting more - the goal of a demo. I haven't been following the band since their Demo 2009 landed in my lap - likely in the form of a tape from somewhere - but there are a few minor adjustments which have aided them in crafting potent metal once again, just in a more direct and furious manner. Especially noticeable is the change in vocalist from Shawn to the vocals being provided by guitarist Heavy Barbarian. Vocals have become more death metal and less hardcore sounding. I don't know why the band didn't just have Barbarian do vocals previously. They fit perfectly. The addition of a new bassist, Lord Penthouse, is the other lineup adjustment. The new songs have less breakdowns and more malignant tumors of death. I get a distinct mixture of Hellhammer and Bestial Warlust. It's a combination I like a lot.
Whether it's the crushing mid paced assault of the latter half of "Formation" or the blitzing hurl of opening track "War Torture," Extermination Angel offer fans of the extreme a perfect eight-minute nightmare. There's not a huge amount of music here to consume but it's all digestible, very flavorful, and tastes a little like that scab you picked off your arm the other day and decided to munch on. Nineteen second "Exterminate" is essentially a lead in for "Never Be Born Again" which once again draws forth the power of churning mid-paced riffs before tripping headlong into the grindiest section of the release invoking Utopia Banished era Napalm Death. If any of this sounds worthwhile - which it should - take my advice and get the demo from the band. My only complaint would be the album art and the sketchy transition intro (which might be fine on the tape...).
No comments:
Post a Comment