|
DEMIRICOUS One Metal Blade (2006)
I said it once, and I will say it a thousand times: I am really proud to be a Thrasher! Why? Not only because, twenty five years after Venom's release "Welcome to Hell" and Metallica's legendary invasion with the "Metal Up Your A*s" demo, there are still giants like Exodus and Kreator which are releasing strong and impressive albums, but most importantly because there is an army of young musicians who love this music to such an extent, that they are more than willing to offer their services to that same cause. One of these bands is the Indianapolis-based outfit Demiricous.
The band's first line up saw them as a trio, consisting of Scott Wilson (guitar), Nate Olp (vocals/bass) and Chris Cruz (drums), but half-way through 2001 the addition of Ben Parrish as their second guitarist, allowed them to acquire a similar band structure to Slayer's - the one outfit whose music and general attitude that was their main source of inspiration. These guys can consider themselves to be quite lucky, seeing as the release of the band's second EP managed to attract Metal Blade's attention, the label with which they are now ready to release their debut album with the quite fitting title "One".
In describing Demiricous music, one will find it more than easy to point out the obvious influence by the mighty Slayer, and the first three songs of the album which sound like extras from the "Reign in Blood" era, will definitely support that argument.
The only main difference is in the vocal department, with Nate Olp following a slightly more "brutal" direction. By this stage, I became slightly confused as to how I perceived this album: on the one hand, I really liked these songs, but on the other, I expected this band to show me some character, rather than the ability to re-create Slayer's style and sound.
This change in strategy began with "Beyond Obscene", and was further developed in "Perfection and the Reflection" and "Heathen Up (Out For Blood)", which I personally consider to be the best moments of the album. Now the drumming became more intense, the vocals more brutal and Demiricous sounded more like a US Death Metal outfit with strong Thrash elements. The remaining songs of the album are created with a similar mentality and somehow re-enforce my already-established perception of this album.
If you look at "One" as the debut album of a band that is really hungry to play old school Thrash Metal, and you decide to judge it according to those standards, then it is obviously quite a successful effort. On the other hand, I believe that bands like Demiricous can offer much more to the metal community by trying to leave their own "marks in the sand", rather than stepping in existing ones, if you know what I mean. This is a very promising start.
***½
Review by John Stefanis
|
