New York hardcore act Punishment Due attempts to mesh the old school thrash style with caustic hardcore ala D.R.I. or Cryptic Slaughter.

Honestly, this demo is pretty good. It’s short and ugly, with a high intensity level throughout. The main complaint I would have is the drum sound being somewhat thin, but the bass and guitar are clear or about as clear as they get for a demo. These little inanities aside, the non-violent volatility is here without completely shilling over to reckless abandon in the tunes. The songs themselves are quite enjoyable if a bit sophomoric in spots, but there’s always room to forge forward with each new offering.

I like the opening track “Ascension” that sets the tone for the demo with its raw, uncompromised sound that reminds me just a touch of Black Flag and a bit of current King’s X in the structure. I hear “Move” by King’s X all over this, which is fine. The vocals are really a punkish hybrid yelling, but it fits the tone of the band and this demo. There are some fun riffs here as well, and that always makes for a solid demo by a band that has some promise.

You won’t hear anything totally new in this demo, but you will hear some good tunes performed by a more-than-capable band that probably tears it up live.      

Grave Upheaval, Punishment Due & Reckless Manslaughter

June 16, 2011

CHRIS

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Grave Upheaval - Grave Upheaval Demo

When a band plays a brand of death metal you find so mentally disturbing and dark it’s usually a beyond-rare occurrence. From the very first notes of the Australian Grave Upheaval’s self-titled demo the air fills with an overwhelming sense of sadistic weightiness. The drop-tuning here is most befitting this particular demo; the aura surrounding it is absolutely polluted with a deep, blackened moodiness that spit outs out contemporaries like second-rate caviar.

The vocals are a low, almost ethereal breathiness that almost spills out of the speakers, crawling across the floor and scaring the hell out of those of the lighted path. There is no blinding speed associated with Grave Upheaval; the absolute charm of this four-track effort is its utter disembowelment of your senses. It’s a slow descent into the a murky Hell made all the more fascinating with the title track, which at times makes you feel as if you’re slowly being consumed by Mother Earth and her contemporaries. The resounding backdrop of bass and drums provides the quintessential feelings of dread, while the guitar sound is unequivocally audio malevolence.

I’d be lying if I said it was a perfect demo; it’s quite muddy and under-produced, but that may or may not add to the charm if your mind is geared that way. The vocals are discernable throughout, but the bass does suffer from premature burial as death metal bass is wont to do. These little imperfections aside, this is a demo that the darker metal fans will undoubtedly enjoy. It’s Grave, but even darker and without a shred of personal hope.      

Punishment Due - Punishment Due Demo

Release Date:  December 19, 2010
Label: Band Self Released

TRACK LISTING:
1. Ascension  2. Coma Kings  3. Demolition  4. Martyr        
-     Total playing time: 10:39

Release Date:  May 28, 2010
Label: Abysmal Sounds

TRACK LISTING:
1.  The Black Womb of Megiddo  2.  Impetuous Black Hunger  3.  Goat Kommand  4.  Grave Upheaval 
-    Total playing time: 18:15

For a copy of Grave Upheaval Demo contact the band via their myspace page (click on link above).

Reckless Manslaughter - Promo 2010

Germany’s Reckless Manslaughter offers me its first promo demo from last year filled with death metal from the wonderful Fatherland. At the time of this writing the band has issued its first full-length and I sincerely hope it’s a step up from the current promo in my ears.

Reckless Manslaughter isn’t a bad band, but they aren’t necessarily a band that will rattle your cages, so to speak. The demo here is embryonic, somewhat lacking in total structured resonance and the drums are criminally under-produced, but there is a good vibe of death metal that manages to sprout up here and there, however briefly. Often there’s something to be said for a primitive, under-valued sound, but here it just sounds like a bad production job over songs that are lackluster and often unfocused. There’s just not enough that’s memorable here. The vocals are more growling yelps with a Glen Benton-like high shriek for measure, but it all just falls flat. No one song seems to follow a pattern, and while that might otherwise be a great thing it only comes off as misguided for me.

Now, that said they do have a full-length I have to hear, so I’m only going on what I was given. Maybe the album fares much better, but as for what I’m hearing now it’s just not very Jake.

Release Date:  May 20, 2010
Label: Band Self Released

TRACK LISTING:
1. Everlasting Punishment 2. Nuclear Bunker Buster 3. Devastating Domination        -    Total playing time: 10:06

For a copy of Promo 2010 contact the band via their myspace page (click on link above).

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DOWNLOAD Punishment Due Demo FREE from the band's bandcamp page (click on link above).

DEMO ARCHIVE