Label: Underground Syndicate
Genre: Death Metal
Length: 17:13
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Today, it's French death metal time with Demonist's eponym debut EP, released on 31 May 2024. The band are set to re-release the EP on cassette on 4 April via Underground Syndicate, a label founded in late 2024 by David Decobert, guitarist from death/thrash metal band Enmity. The EP is an old-school death metal with meticulous production and a raw but nuanced approach.
Featured four tracks totalling 17:13 minutes, Demonist delivers classic death metal, where raw guitars are accompanied by discreet melodies and percussive drums that frequently accelerate with short blast beats. The songwriting is dynamic and varied, alternating pace, except on Slay Them All, which maintains a frantic pace from start to finish. The guttural vocals, deeply rooted in old school death metal, add undeniable power to this creation.
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Among my highlights of this EP, the instrumental introduction of Priest of Skin immediately grabs your attention with its immersive first 35 seconds, followed by a subtle, melodic transition that accompanies the entrance of the vocals. Pandemonium, (my favourite track), instantly evokes to me bands like Merciless and Entombed, with its incisive songwriting and vocals alternating between growls and shrill screams. They Inhale the Soul takes a heavier, more structured approach, enhanced by a slightly muffled solo in the last minute, but a terribly effective one.
The reissue on cassette of this record via Underground Syndicate is an excellent opportunity to rediscover this hard-hitting release, perhaps heralding a promising future for the band on the extreme metal scene.
