Listening to demos irks me. You never know what you’ll get. Is it the next At the Gates, or some horrific failure? This falls into the latter category, but I can’t tell where this band will go from this. It shows potential, that’s for sure.

Firstly: The vocalist is actually pretty good. His vocals toe the line between Angela Gossow and a more charismatic Anders Friden, and they remind me a little of the vocals that Shagrath of Dimmu Borgir showcased on Stormblast. The same sort of dry throat scraping yell is exhibited here.

This demo has terrible production, as expected. The drum sound… oh by the gods, is it IRRITATING AS FUCK. This isn’t the drummer’s fault, but man does this production suck horrifically. The drummer himself is utterly without personality or anything that would distinguish him from a drum machine other then a distinct lack of technical know-how. The guitarists are moderately skilled, but they obviously don’t have much to work with, seeing as this is melodeath they’re playing: that genre is ludicrously oversaturated with awesome guitarists and bands, and so they pale in comparison. The style reminds me of a slowed-down Children of Bodom, and the riffs match. There are many guitar solos, which further bolsters the CoB comparison. See, the only thing that could possibly make this band stand out is their vocals, and the overt harshness of them only really invites more CoB referencing. I suggest to them that they attempt to distance themselves from such people who would make those connections.

Advice? I have advice. First, to the vocalist: Your growling is good, and you have some decent range as well. You’re probably the strongest link here. To the drummer: Track down and kill whoever gave your standard drumwork that lousy sound, and then work on technique, and try to add some flair. Y’know, add in some more fills and personality, but make sure not to be an attention whore. Guitarists: Please write more then five riffs for a song as long as Through the Fire, and try to come up with more original riffs. Develop personal styles that make you distinctive and easy to pick out among others.

Not really, no, but soon enough, this band could produce something worth listening to.

This demo is lousy, but shows promise. Work on your songwriting and what else I pointed out, and you guys could be supporting Dark Tranquility in five or six years.