Sweden continues its storied line of exemplary black/death bands with Exsickator, a band that fuses some of the finer elements of movie score sounds and dark metal abandon for a really impressive offering by way of Beyond This World.

What I can do here is merely tell you that this demo will most likely be in my top few at year’s end; it just has a punch to it that is sadly missing in many signed bands of today. “The Eternal Will of the Swarm” moves along like a pieced-together epic packed into eight-minutes of brilliance that isn’t easily matched. Everything from classical elements to straight forward blackness is twisted into form here and I simply find this style entrancing on all levels. The feel of the CD is not so much haunting as it is somber and exciting; the highs are high and the lows are just above depressive wit, carrying enough stability to mix you up so intently that you’re not quite sure what to feel after a first run-through.

So you listen again.

These keys and synths are exactly how the instrument should be used and not as some cheap extra guitar sound by a lazy band inept or dull enough not to add a guitarist to the sound. “The Passing” is a prime example of this little instrumental foray. As for the vocals they range from raspy, diminished black style to a whisper above the din; it all makes for a terrific icing on top of full, filling music that, in my opinion, is classic and vibrant enough to check out.

Devil, Exsickator & Visigoth

March 19, 2011

CHRIS

*Comments:

*By clicking "Submit" you agree to the following Terms of Use. You agree not to post any material that is obscene, slanderous, or threatening, or that may violate any law of your country of origin or the United States or of international law. Should you wish to restrict viewing of your email address by third parties, you must select "Hide My Email." You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Metal Psalter from any claims, actions, suits, damages, or other costs arising out of any breach of these Terms of Use.

Devil - Magister Mundi Xum

Devil hails from (surprise) Norway with a straight-ahead heavy/doom style indicative of Sabbath or even Cathedral-light. The band’s initial Magister Mundi Xum demo has some interesting moments of pregnant fluidity, yet I’m not sold on the lyrical prowess or even the vocal style…yet.

At times I’m wondering if Jeff Pezzati from Chicago punk legends Naked Raygun jumped ship and joined Devil. The flat tone is fine for some areas of the music, but it gets monotone and redundant after the second song. The fuzzy tone of the album is interesting, and the overall ‘dated’ feel of the music is okay, but it does reek of a 'been-there-done-that’ mentality. I’m not adverse to this style; on the contrary, I quite favor such a throwback effort. Something just doesn’t kick in for me to be completely blanketed by this demo. “Welcome the Devil” is, musically, that standout track for me, but the lyrics are pretty clichéd and hard to really find depth. I’ve certainly heard far worse, but similar bands of this ilk, like Sahg for example, seem to just find that power plug and resound much lusher for these ears.    

Frankly, Magister Mundi Xum is quite fine musically, save for the overtly pedestrian lyrics that most likely could have been fashioned by any young band starting out in a garage in any big city back in the 80’s. I’m just not so sure the first attempt is the best representation of what this band might be capable of, so I reserve total judgment until I hear more in the future. I certainly hear promise, so that’s enough to keep me interested in the lineage-to-be.  

Visigoth - Vengeance Demo 2010

Release Date:  November 17, 2010
Band Self Released

TRACK LISTING:
1.  Sing for the Fallen 2.  Iron Brotherhood  3.  Vengeance  4.  Battle Cry (Omen Cover)     -    Total playing time:  21:05

Salt Lake City trio Visigoth offers a traditional heavy style that issues traditional fuzzy doom in an ugly-as-hell fashion. Vengeance is the band’s first demo offering and I’m getting it in all of its glory.

Vocalist Jake Rogers recently passed my desk with his one-man black-folk project called Gallowbraid and impressed the hell out of me. His vocals here are gruff and like a bag of tacks slamming into your face - a compliment, of course. The best comparison I make is Algy Ward from Tank, and the style fits without sounding ridiculous or forced. Musically, Visigoth knows how to hit the D-power chord with the best of them, providing a desert of drop-tuned delight to any and all fans of that very plodding sound that even Sabbath occasionally missed in its heyday. Nothing fancy here; the music is heavy and definitely ‘bang-worthy’. In three songs and one impressive cover of Omen’s “Battle Cry” Visigoth lays foundation for a fine future in the metal underbelly we so covet like buffalo nickels. Even a song like “Iron Brotherhood” (a track I’d usually tear apart for such Manowar-like ‘fist-held-high-for-brotherhood’ lyrical clichés) stuck with me long after the music stopped playing.

This is a definite play-again demo for me and I hope to hear much more from this band in the future.

Exsickator - Beyond This World

Release Date:   2010
Band Self Released
TRACK LISTING:
1.  We shall be... Perfect!  2.  Beyond This World  3.  The Eternal Will of the Swarm  4.  The Passing  5.  Bottomless Perdition  6.  A Dark State of Mind  7.  Redemption Choir    
-    Total playing time: 51:37

DOWNLOAD Beyond This World FREE from the band's  bandcamp page: EXSICKATOR

Release Date:  November 30, 2010
Label: Unborn Productions

TRACK LISTING:
1.  The Arrival (intro)  2.  At the Blacksmith's  3.  Spirit of the Cult  4.  Time to Repent  5.  I Made a Pact...  6.  Welcome the Devil        -    Total playing time: 23:28

DOWNLOAD Magister Mundi Xum from Amazon:
DEVIL AT AMAZON

DOWNLOAD Vengeance Demo 2010 FREE from the band's myspace page (click on link above).

TO THE TOP

DEMO ARCHIVE